Lecture Programme on “Trends in Asian Terrorism” by Rohan Gunaratna

Dr. Rohan Gunaratna, Head, International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research of S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore is presenting a keynote paper on “Trends in Asian Terrorism” at a local hotel in Dhaka. Held under the auspices of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), the function was chaired by BIPSS President Major General ANM Moniruzzaman, ndc, psc.

Lecture Programme on

“Trends in Asian Terrorism” by Rohan Gunaratna

Dr. Rohan Gunaratna, Head, International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research of S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore is presenting a keynote paper on “ Trends in Asian Terrorism” at a local hotel in Dhaka. Held under the auspices of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), the function was chaired by BIPSS President Major General ANM Moniruzzaman, ndc, psc.

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Opening Speech by
Major General ANM Muniruzzaman, ndc, psc
President,
Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies(BIPSS)
Date: 30.12.2007

” Terrorism is not new; it has been used in different forms since the recorded history of human conflict. It has however come to limelight with new dimension in recent times. But yet the ambiguity regarding it’s definition and classification persists. It is our understanding that unlike some common literature, this is a problem not singular to any religion or faith, race or culture, country or region, but broadly spreads across our recent political history and landscape.

As an asymmetric form of warfare, it confers coercive power with many of the advantages of military force to a group at a fraction of the cost. As a method of conflict, it has survived and evolved through the ages to flourish in the modern information age. Terrorism continuously adopt as a hydra headed monster to meet challenges of emerging forms of conflict and exploit development in technology and society and to adapt to meet the challenges of emerging ­­forms of conflict and exploit development in technology and society,

It has also demonstrated increasing abilities to counter terrorism measures. Terrorism shows significant progress in graduating from sub-ordinate roles in nation states conflict to become prominent players in the international scene in their own right. They are being more integrated with other sub-state entities and assuming a global but again face-less identity of their own. A terrorist act is a political act or committed with the intention to attain certain political objectives. Karl Von Clausewitz’s statement that “war is a continuation of policy by other means” is taken as truism by terrorists. They merely eliminate the intermediate step of armies and warfare and violence directly to the political conflicts. It has following characters

• Political.
• Psychological.
• Coercive.
• Dynamic and
• Deliberate

At present there is a tendency of shifting terrorism from old to new regions of the world. In this, the current centre of gravity of terrorism is shifting from the western world to the Asian region. The epicenter of political violence and terrorism is now probably centered in Asia with increased acts of violence spreading from Afghanistan to Indonesia, from Philippines to India. The Asian region is increasingly becoming an area of instability. Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to the shifting waves and the repel impacts of this trends of extremism and violence.

Now, I would like to call upon Dr. Rohan Gunaratna, to deliver his lecture on this important issue. “