Economy : Terrorism's Newest Weapon?

Terrorism is a global phenomenon these days and is not restricted to local or national causes. It is more organized and more planned, the way companies and organizations are run. It has experienced people at the top, hardened fighters who have actually been in wars. The globalization of terrorism was started by the destruction of the W.T.O. towers and the bombings in London. Terrorism stared in the face of everyone suddenly and unexpectedly.

The reaction of the affected countries have managed to keep the world a relatively peaceful place after years of fighting, but the terrorism still exists and raises its ugly head every now and then in the form of bombings, kidnappings and killings. The motive is always the same, to terrorize, to instill fear in the hearts of the people. Even though nations have been taking precautionary and curative measures this phenomenon somehow still seems to be flourishing. Like the virus terrorism has managed to evolve and stay unharmed from all the precautions taken by the governments.

Most of the terrorist organizations have been under scrutiny and the modus operandi of these organizations is slowly coming to light. This has helped in cutting down of the violent attacks and people now stand together to fight the violent terrorist. But then the terrorist has evolved from the illiterate and hardened fighter to the educated and the cultured man of the world. It is nothing new that some of the most famous terrorists are highly educated.

Now if this new age terrorist was to strike what would be the most likely place? This new target is no longer a physical place. It's where it hurts the most. It's economy. Entire nations can be crumbled by meddling with their economy. And all it takes are some tweaks, some misappropriated funds, some counterfeit currency and some bad laws. However improbable that it may seem, this definitely seems to be happening. If the number of cases of fraud and misappropriations are considered, something definitely does not seem normal or routine. The world's strongest economy, that of the US seems to have crumbled in a day. Some of the developing economies seem to have fallen below expectations. Does all this have any plausible explanation?

A renowned author had an economist as a terrorist in his latest book. There have been instances where terrorists have influenced students from some of the best universities. And it is a one way ticket into that world. A student, who decides to join in the heat of the moment, would never get to go back when sense prevails over him after some years. All in all the terrorists seem to have gotten themselves a bunch of highly educated men who know how economies work and how they can be crumbled.

Can this new face of terrorism be tackled? Can the nations fight back this virus that attacks the very backbone of their existence? History tells us that the nations have always prevailed and should win again. But how, that needs to be seen.