Terrorism And Human Rights Abuses

terrorism and Human Rights Abuses in the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the Persian Gulf The Balkans, despite being a relatively small area, is home to an expansive assortment of nationalities, cultures and religions (Popescu, 2008). Hence, it is fateful that any changes in the balance between them give have important political, social and economic consequences that testament affect the entire region (Popescu, 2008). Terrorist groups took advantage of the instability brought about by the distrust of Balkan societies in their several(prenominal) governments (Popescu, 2008).As a result, they easily turned the region into a breeding ground for extremist and fundamentalist groups, as well as a transit corridor for missions in third countries (Popescu, 2008). The war in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s, for instance, originated from the intrust of the Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) to establish an Islamic state (Popescu, 2008). They used Islam as a nationalistic rhetoric, equating the sur vival of their realm with the restoration of Muslim national identity (Popescu, 2008).The Bosniaks were supported by Islamic countries such as Saudi-Arabian Arabia, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Libya and Iran, providing them with weapons and soldiers (Popescu, 2008). From 1992 to 1995, 6,000 Arab-Afghan rebels came to the country to fight in the hostility (Popescu, 2008). After 9/11, majority of the charitable institutions in Bosnia-Herzegovina were investigated and closed in(p) down due to their alleged ties with terrorist organizations like the Al-Qaeda (Popescu, 2008). In March 2002, police raided the BosanskaIdealna Futura-BIF, a Sarajevo-based improver organization (Popescu, 2008). They found military manuals, forged passports, weapons and personal correspondence between Osama bin Laden and BIF get together Enaam Mahmud Arnaout (Popescu, 2008). Human rights abuses by Persian Gulf nations (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, etc. ) and terrorist attacks against US interests were both i ntended to supress political opposition. scorn publicly denouncing American imperialism, the aforementioned countries are notorious for grossly violating the human rights of their citizens (Simbulan, 2002).Majority of political prisoners in the Persian gulf nations were detained for speaking out against corruption and totalitarianism in their respective countries (Simbulan, 2002). Prominent Omani dramatist and human rights activist Abdullah Ryami was imprisoned on July 2005 for vocally criticizing the Omani governments arrest and trial of 31 Omanis belong to the Ibadi sect for allegedly plotting a coup (Human Rights Watch, 2005). At the time of his incarceration, he had no contact with his family or a legal counsel (Human Rights Watch, 2005).He was likewise banned from writing in newspapers and producing plays for television (Human Rights Watch, 2005). On declination 2007, activists in Bahrain staged a series of demonstrations to mark abuses by security forces during political un rest in the 1990s (Human Rights Watch, 2008). Dozens of people were arrested in the violent dispersals that ensued, including opposition political activists who protested the Bahraini governments repression of civil liberties (Human Rights Watch, 2008). In January 2008, detainees complained of being subjected to physical and sexual abuse by interrogators and jailers (Human Rights Watch, 2008).The prisoners request for independent physicians to examine the extent of their injuries was also denied (Human Rights Watch, 2008). The collapse of the Soviet articulation contributed to terrorist activities in Eastern Europe by making its newly-formed republics more conquerable to American military intervention (Howstuffworks, 2008). After the Soviet bloc fell, the US emerged as the worlds remaining force (Howstuffworks, 2008). The breakup of the Soviet Union granted the US easy access to its natural resources, particularly fossil fossil fossil oil (Howstuffworks, 2008). The paragraph b elow summarized the regions potentialAfghanistan occupies the central position in the U. S. strategy for the economic control of the oil and botch up resources in the entire Middle East. The U. S. currently imports 51 per cent of its crude oil 19. 5 million barrels daily. The Energy Information Administration estimates that by 2020, the U. S. will import 64 per cent of its crude 25. 8 million barrels a day. Caspian region oil reserves might be the third largest in the world (after Western Siberia and the Persian Gulf) and, within the next 15 to 20 years, whitethorn be large enough to offset Persian Gulf oil.Caspian Sea oil and gas are not the only hydrocarbon deposits in the region. Turkmenistans Karakum Desert holds the worlds third largest gas reserves three trillion three-dimensional meters and has six billion barrels of estimated oil reserves. Current estimates indicate that, in addition to huge gas deposits, the Caspian basin may hold as much as 200 billion barrels of oil 33 times the estimated holdings of Alaskas North Slope and a current value of $4 trillion. It is enough to get through the U. S. energy needs for 30 years or more (Yechury, 2001).Hence, it was no longer surprising if the US declared war against the Taliban regime of Afghanistan. But majority of the extremist and terrorist groups in the former Soviet axis of rotation and in Eastern Europe are allied with the Taliban, as the Taliban provided them with weapons, training and manpower (Godoy, 2001). Therefore, the US will have to face a bigger threat of terrorism in Eastern Europe. References __________. (2002, October). The Oil equality in the US Bid against Iraq. Education for Development, 1, 15-16. Capdevila, G. (2002, October).Outgoing UN Human Rights Chief Repeats Criticisms against US. Education for Development, 1, 30-31. Deen, T. (2002, October). UN Credibility at bet over Iraq, Warn Diplomats. Education for Development, 1, 10-11. Godoy, J. (2001, November 15). US Policy Tow ards Taliban Influenced by Oil Authors. Retrieved February 28, 2008 from http//www. commondreams. org/headlines01/1115-06. htm. Howstuffworks. (2008). The Fall of the Soviet Union and the Rise of Terrorism. Retrieved February 28, 2008 from http//history. howstuffworks. com/cold-war/the-cold-war-timeline4.htm. Human Rights Watch. (2005, July 18). Oman Critics Subjected to Injustices They Had Exposed. Retrieved February 28, 2008 from http//hrw. org/english/docs/2005/07/18/oman11343. htm. Human Rights Watch. (2008, January 21). Bahrain Investigate Alleged Torture of Activists. Retrieved February 28, 2008 from http//hrw. org/english/docs/2008/01/21/bahrai17838. htm. Human Rights Watch. (2008, February 16). Bahrain New Allegations of Detainee Abuse. Retrieved February 28, 2008 from http//hrw. org/english/docs/2008/02/16/bahrai18083.htm. Lobe, J. (2002, October). US Vision of Might and Right. Education for Development, 1, 3-5. Popescu, Teodora. (2008). Tackling Terrorism in the Balkans. PDF File. Retrieved February 28, 2008 from sparky. harvard. edu/kokkalis/GSW9/Popescu_paper. pdf. Simbulan, R. (2002, October). Why the UN Must Defend Iraq against the US War of Aggression. Education for Development, 1, 48-50. Yechury, Sitram. (2001). America, Oil and Afghanistan. Retrieved February 28, 2008 from http//www. hinduonnet. com/2001/10/13/stories/05132524. htm.