Act on terror

Global community must undertake united efforts to fight the menace

The G20 summit in Turkey was understandably overshadowed by the horrific terror strikes in Paris, forcing world leaders to push any economic agenda to the background. There were resolute assertions that all nations needed to unite to defeat the terror menace before it was too late.

There’s no denying the fact that the Islamic State (IS), terror group responsible for the Paris massacre, has exploited weaknesses in the global order to emerge as a threat to the entire world. It has not only preyed upon sectarian rivalries in the Middle East to carve out its so-called caliphate, but has also leveraged differences between major powers to expand its footprint. Take for example the situation in Syria. Hitherto, differences over Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have seen the US and its Sunni Arab allies take an opposite position to that of Russia and Iran, even though both camps claim to be fighting IS.

This has only made sure the military operations against the terror group lack focus. Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done well to call for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. This would include clearly defining terrorism, isolating states and actors that support it and delinking religion and terrorism. In fact, the biggest impediment to fighting terrorism in its current transnational form has been the use of terror groups by certain states for strategic gains. Unless this is stopped and a uniform approach to all terror groups-irrespective of their ideological hue-implemented, the menace will continue to spread.