Khudadad's Knols

Analyzing radicalization

The world is changing both by designs of global authorities to deepening their rules and by empowering of people. Now it almost eight years that people of world is hearing about the war on terror and fighting radicalization. Certainly we have seen acts and counteracts and now we are in a position to analyze it by keeping in view events and their consequences. We can compare the rival forces in these social tensions. While western countries are allied against terrorism and radicalisms and they have some allies in Asia also. In this war the people of West seem not active in social and political processes. Contrary to them some parts of the Muslim countries are looking active despite of the inactiveness of their governments. There may be several interpretations and analysis of events according to interests and positions in this war but it is important to analyze them in perspective of events linked with each other to gain some historic perspectives and mechanism of change in view of emerging technologies and knowledge.

It is an accepted fact that emerging technologies have empowered people not only by improving economical and social status of people but also educational and expressional levels of people. Economical and educational improvements along facilitations in expressions and communications have made people an inevitable partner in sharing of power. The people want their voices heard and their representatives stand for their voices. Certainly people first look to their governments both for their voices and stand on it. The political parties are also means for the voices of people and their stands but if both governments and political parties failed to hear the voices of people and stand for them people look to alternatives. Certainly any group of people with clear goals and daring and means to hear voices of people and stand for them will emerge as alternatives. These groups in first stages refer existence but for sure by preparing grounds they tend to take a hold on power. Government is the last mean to deliver promises they make to people. Though these groups emerge as a result of failure of the governments and political parties to hear the voices of people and stand for them but still if these groups have no social welfare program the people soon fade up of them and will turn against them. But if these groups develop capability to not only hear voices of people and stand for them but also social welfare program to improve the livelihood of people they will get wide acceptance. This is not a hypothesis but the situations in previous eight years made them evident to the people of world. Now we come to some examples for our claim. We divide the groups emerged as an alternative to governments and political parties into two groups:

1- Successful groups

2- Failed groups

1- Successful groups:


The groups in this category though different from each other and operate in different regions for different objective but they have some factors in common that categorize them in this group:


a- They emerged as a result of failure of governments and political parties to hear the voices of people and stand for them.

b- Resistance to occupying forces is the core of their identity and organization.

c- They have social welfare programs beside resistance which make strong trust and confidence of people in them.

d- They call for unity and political reconciliations to work for common objectives.

Certainly these features have made them popular among the people for whom they stand. They are standing firm despite international pressures and sanctions. Though authorities and so called public representatives are not welcoming them in open due to love of their positions and their international compulsions but they also accept the effectiveness of these groups. These groups are the examples of current political, economical analysts to understand the role of technological and economical empowerments in lives of people. Surely empowered people of modern age behave from ideologically motivated people of previous century. In 20th century the people in West were ideologically motivated and hence the Socialist revolutions and nationalist movements led to technological and economical empowerments of people as well as clashes which resulted into international organizations like United Nations and World Trade Organization. In 21st century there is understandable silence over western people but people in east are motivated. Though these is international pressures on governments to prevent public upraises but alternative forces are on work to shape the political and economical history of 21st century. Some famous organizations are included, Hezbollah of Lebanon, Jaish Al Mahdi of Iraq, Hamas of Palestine, Islamic court of Somalia.

2- Failed groups:

Though these groups emerged due to failure of governments and political parties and were raised for voices of people and stand for them but as they made violence their primary tool and they had no welfare programs as well as no unity and political conciliation for common goals. The oppressing nature and violent strategy and the radical stands and beliefs made them rootless in people. Some of these groups like Mujahidin of Afghanistan and Taliban made governments but their governments failed and made their ideologies unacceptable to people as they were biased, based on fear and violence and lacking programs of social welfare and conciliation. The Al-Qaida couldn’t reach to power as they were totally based on violence, non-tolerance, biased strategy and radical ideology.

Conclusion:


Weak governments and non-professional democratic political parties are incapable to hear the voices of people and stand for them. The governments need to make themselves capable of delivering the promises they make to people. For making this able the political parties need to be changed. Political parties need to shape their organizations like organizations of governments and make professional people lead these specialized parts of political organizations that they become able not only to hear the voices of people and stand for them but also train people and make policies that when they come to power they could deliver the promises made to people. These kinds of political parties not only make strong governments but also prevent originating alternative groups. If we make a quick look on the difference of the political parties and alternate groups, one difference is very evident and clear. The political parties lack organizations and capabilities to work out of governments and deliver promises they make to people. On contrary the alternate groups are well organized with professional and devoted people who are able to deliver the promises they make to people. Similarly, as army is a self reliance organization with specialized fields led by professional people so dictators who rule by force of army are more successful than political parties which lack professional people and specialized organization. The only answer to radicalization is to restructure the political parties by law to make them able not only answer cultural calls but also provide social welfare benefits and stand for their people’s voices.