Showing posts with label peace making. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peace making. Show all posts

Monday, August 8, 2011

CONTRIBUTION OF RELIGION, EXTREMISM, FOREIGN POLICY TO TERRORISM –A CASE OF JULY 11 TERROR ATTACKS IN UGANDA

Jacob Waiswa
Situation Health Analyst
Dishma-Inc.
P.O. Box 8885,
Kampala-Uganda
Tel. +256392614655/+256752542504
dishma.imhs@gmail.com
www.situationhealthanalysis.blogspot.com


The term terrorism means something different to different people. It all depends on the user of the word. The common usage of the term as reported from war-affected or insurgent-affected countries in reference to one's enemy in an attempt to demonetize him or her. For example, the Libyan president's (Muammar Gadaffi) reference to rebels fighters in his country as terrorist sent by Al Qaeda's leader Osama Bin Laden (RIP).

The general understanding of the term is in reference to acts by militant groups to create fear among their target population. In his presentation to the graduate peace and conflict class the army spokesman (Uganda People's Defense Forces) Lt. Col. Felix Kulayigye stressed that the main aim of the terrorist is to instill fear and gain recognition by taking advantage of soft targets.

What could not be ascertained from him was whether the security agents’ killing of unarmed civilians during the recent protests against the mistreatment of the main opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye was not alone terrorism.

Extremism is the tendency to think and act beyond the ordinary. Extremists have extreme views and act in line with such views. While some sources claim that extremism is the extreme of undesirable or evil act, it can also be so much of doing the good only.

Foreign policy is mode of operation a given country adopts in its relationship with another country aimed at championing its interests. Religion has been widely fronted as agent of terrorism.

Within it, individuals can be less involved, moderate or extreme in the practice of its ideals while in some countries like Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Italy, Iran, Syria, Israel etc, religion is a national language –where foreign policy must be based on it (religion).

On July 11, 2010, an estimated 76 Ugandans died following bomb attacks believed to have been coordinated by the Al Shabaab Islamic group in Somalia. There was no link of terrorism and religion with majority expressions showing no (64%) against yes (30%) and others (6%).

This refutes the view that Islam, Buddhism, Catholicism and others are agents of evil acts of terrorism. In both ways religion can be both ugly and positively rewarding in peace-building, for example, it can respond positively towards peace-building efforts –through forgiveness, restoration, healing and transform them people from viewing it as personal faith to community level wellbeing.

Extremism was greatly attributed to the incidences of terrorism attacks –with its tendencies being yes (84%), no (1%) and other factors (15%). An example of intolerance and extremism is the killing of Iraqi Christians: 3 killed and 20 more injured in the continued attack on helpless minority –as was reported last year by the BBC. There are different or other causes of terrorism that can be attributed to the July 11, 2010 bomb attacks in Uganda.

Foreign occupation by another country compromises national sovereignty. Affected countries will in an opportune time and space rise against foreign dominion. Until to day, Israel occupation of Palestine has been a source of conflict. Some observers identify Palestine-Israel conflict as the heart of terrorism in the world today.

At a psychological trauma conference in Nairobi July 4th to 10th 2010, the Somali satellite group expressed their horrible terror experience in Somalia –and sealed that by calling on foreign states fighting in Somalia to vacate their country –suggesting that they had indigenous means to resolve the conflict between themselves through clan leaders. Several other appeals had been made by Somalis and a section of Islamic leaders protesting Uganda's presence in Somalia. A few days later, Bombs struck Kampala.

The idea of resorting to indigenous peace making approach was thus a marketable idea –as the complexity of clan issues (conflict) can hardly be comprehended by foreign governments, but by Somalis themselves. However, Felix Kulayigye underestimated the power of indigenous conflict resolution mechanism that, conflict was raging on in Somalia without it coming into play.

Despite Kulayigyes assertion, it is important to note here that no peace making activities can take place without a ceasefire. Somalia has been drowned into a civil war since the down fall of Siad Barre regime. And between then and now, there has been no clear emphasis on traditional approaches, but a battle ground of foreign interests and imported wars.

If a ceasefire is negotiated and indigenous approach well facilitated by international community rather emphasis of military intervention, the ethnic complexity can be diffused to bring civility back to Somalia.

The process would entail the evaluation of the 2004 peace agreement for any loopholes like the tendency of some regional powers (for example; Ethiopia and Eritrea) taking side or supporting key factions in Somalia. Ethiopian and Eritrea actions in Somalia were an extended war between themselves in a foreign country.

A civil war in a given country can have spill over effects on a wider geographical area. It had been conceived that the war-plagued environment of Somalia was attractive to international terrorist organizations like the Al Qaeda -who could strike at any country anytime.

Kulayigye linked the terrorist presence in Somalia to the 1998 Nairobi bombings. And that, by helping pacify Somalia, the great lakes region will be at peace. Indeed militarists look for perceived threat -even where it is non-existent. If every country behaved like Uganda, then every entity would be at war with each other by a strike of mere imagination of a threat.

But before Uganda's entry in Somalia, there were no terrorist attacks linked to Somalia. Those that happened in late 1990s and early 2000s were only linked to the Allied Democratic Front (ADF) and the lord’s resistance army (LRA). The Somali linked terror attacks only took place after weeks of clear warnings and appeals for Uganda to end their presence in Somalia.

Indeed, the contagion factor can not be taken lightly -even in regards to other cases of violence elsewhere; an isolated case of violence or terrorism can spread to become a serious civil war. An example of a potentially contagious matter is the formerly individual walk-to-work protest by Dr. Besigye, then violence, could with time become seriously national-wide violent protest and claim lots of lives from the ruthless national security agencies in Uganda.

The protests will in the first case demystify government wrath in violently 'solving' the political and economic crises and winning a point for protesters to turn violent protests into a norm and as a means of 'conflict resolution' applicable elsewhere. Contagion of terrorism is thus a factor that has facilitated scenes of terrorism elsewhere in the world -including the July 11th 2010 Kampala bombing.

Unemployed and ambitious young people have been lured into terrorist activities upon being promised either money or better life after death away from uncertain future. Once poverty and indoctrination are married on one hand, and powerful ambitions and indoctrination on another, a powerful terror spirit can be created. The Ugandan youngsters –who bombed Kampala had been promised an equivalent $250 Uganda Shillings per month.

From the information fed to the suspects there was a clear indication that such information is packaged in a way that convinces the executioner that life would be better than the current. In his confession to the Ugandan press one of the terror suspects (Idris Nsubuga) revealed that by answering a phone call (that triggered the bomb blast) his life will never be the same. In his words he said, "I thought by answering this call my life would be better," he said. "But it changed it entirely -- I've never been the same since then.”

Unsuspecting youngsters are taken advantage of in the name of religion to carry out acts of terror, Issa Ahmed Luyima a much more senior member of the Al-Shabaab found it easier to recruit his young brother (Haruna Hassan Luyima) than any Ugandan outside his kinship -as they could be suspecting enough to foil his terror plan. He was quoted in the Ugandan media saying, “I did not want to work with my brother but recruiting other people was very risky, so I manipulated him.”

In another media statement that reinforces the terrorist organizations' act of indoctrinating young people into terror activities, the inspector general of police was quoted saying, “The eight Pakistanis arrested preaching in Pallisa were initially in Kasese recruiting children and indoctrinating them in Madarasa (Koran schools). The next thing, they were in Pallisa without documents.”

Extremism in religious organizations was the critical contributor to terrorism showed by yes (84%), no (1%) and other factors (15%) against religion at yes (30%), no (64%) and other factors (6%), and foreign policy at yes (28%), no (58%) and other factors (14%).

It is therefore pertinent for religions and other ideologists to preach tolerance and promote diversity, as the media plays the role of creating a human spirit -across religious and cultural spectrum.

Much as security involvement in terror prevention is invisible, there is huge evidence that they monitor every person’s activity in the country. This is very evident on international journeys –where each carrier an operative to monitor movements of those they are suspicious of –if not all the Ugandans. Tracking phones is fully in force and puts every Ugandan mindset under a security verification microscopy.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PEACE, PEACE MAKING, PEACE KEEPING OPERATIONS, POST TRAUMATIC STRESS EVENTS AND GROWTH, STRESS AND FAMILY ARRANGEMENT


Jacob Waiswa
Situation Health Analyst
Dishma-Inc.
P.O. Box 8885,
Kampala-Uganda
Tel. +256392614655/+256752542504
dishma.imhs@gmail.com
www.situationhealthanalysis.blogspot.com

In general, peace psychology can be understood as the manipulation of the sub-disciplines of psychology across different levels of human functioning and across different disciplines to understand violence cause-effect relationships, predict it and devise interventions for sustainable peace.

Peace psychology is relatively new. It draws explanations of human behavior and interventions from clinical psychology, social psychology, developmental or personality psychology, political psychology, and others like; history, sociology and international relations –across different levels of analysis from micro to macro.

Psychology of peacemaking and peace keeping operations there fore arouses the different psychological models to explain the essence of peace making and peace keeping and derive effective actions for conflict resolution and lasting peace.

Post traumatic events are perceived by individuals as very bad, simply unacceptable and regrettable. Such events continue to occur in dreams and in social moments –where stimuli is associated to the bad past, and it goes on to disrupt person’s concentration at work, cause restlessness and bad moods.

If not treated, individual conditions turn severe and have manifestations of chronic depression, panic disorder, psychosis, and other schizophrenic type disorders. It usually calls for multi-disciplinary approach to helping patient recover –involving social workers, family, community, religious people, traditional healers, clinicians, psychologists or therapists.

Stress is a common phenomenon occurring in our day to day life that is only made to vary –according to intensity, coping ability and vulnerability of the person. Stress is labeled according to the object, situation or condition causing it –and affects person’s mental, physical, and social functioning –that may be far positively, far negatively or optimally.

Ideally optimum amount is called for –necessary to allow holistic functioning of the individual.
Systematic responses are made by family in case of an event that is perceived good or bad. The family finds it self obliged to hold parties and pray for more of them featured by certain rituals while if bad –the family organizes a time to talk, lament, and find positives from bad situation. Family arranges a ceremony of passage from the bad to good times. The good projected times are sealed with sweet talks about the future, good food for everyone and wine.

Psychology of peace, peace making, peace keeping operations, post traumatic events, stress and family arrangements can thus help us understand mental processes and behavior of people involved in conflict, the mental implications of interventions developed and effectiveness of the approaches designed towards sustainable peace from individual level to group, to family, to organizational, to society, to national, to regional and to international levels.

Peace making is a set of activities aiming at resolving conflict –which include setting equal power relationships, agreeable procedures by parties involved, creating understanding for the common destiny (peace), and reconciliation within conflicting communities.

Common activities include; mediation by neutral party, arbitration, establishment of diplomatic and economic relations, and threats or use of force. In different activities undertaken, neutrality is very critical.

The psychological implication of peace making is restructuring previously held maladaptive thoughts from worst to desirable ones –through peace talks or mediating; conditioning to derive desired behavior –through martial aid, concessions (manifesting goodwill and cooperation after reconciliation) or by enforcement of peace; desensitization –through diplomacy and opening ties between belligerents.

Other forms of behavior corrections means –attributed to psychology are peace making are trust and commitment-testing for each party in the conflict; breaking of to review importance of peace talks (hold evaluations moments); positive reinforcement –through marshal aid, mutual respect, leveled grounds for dialogue (including; diplomatic treatments, impressive dressing, and provision of different other privileges aggrieved person wishes to get in exchange for peace; and aversive conditioning through enforcement of peace.

Peace keeping operations is part of the big body of actions undertaken to realize peace. UN peace keeping was developed during the cold war era in an attempt to implement peace initiatives under the supervision of a neutral party.

Post traumatic stress events follow a history of stressors afflicting individual (or individuals) and rendering them vulnerable to negative effects of stress and unable to cope with stressful events –leading into mental and behavioral dysfunction. These conditions are experienced by all parties in a conflict –be it the peace makers, the warring sides and, above all, the ever vulnerable citizens.

Stress takes a handful of forms –depending on its source. These can be relationship stress, academic stress, economic stress, political stress, cultural stress, religious stress, environmental stress (pollution, overcrowding, and noise), skeletal stress, combat stress and disease stress. Stress is part of our existence mush as it affects us differently.

Post traumatic stress events are negative conditions and experiences within a given environment that take a toll on the individuals’ ability to function cognitively, physically, socially, and spiritually well.

The nature of the consequential dysfunction overt behaviors varies from one person to another. Such experiences can be loss of battalion colleagues during war, torture of prisoners of war, and scenes of human misery and suffering.

A family is a social nucleus consisting of father, mother, and children. In the African family type, both very close and very lose relationships along shared lineage of father and mother was regarded as family (extended family system).

Marriage of two people was marriage of two communities. Modern day careers requires that one vacates his or her parents’ home to set up his or her own, gain important skills and make accomplishments –a challenge peace makers face.

While psychology is appreciated as pivotal in understanding and predicting behavior and to facilitate peace making (and rehabilitation of affected people), peace keeping operation, its truth-revealing element pushes African dictators to the defensive and begin to fight it.

Otherwise, when applied to peace keeping operations or peace making, the discipline can bring positive changes to the individual and society and, ultimately, peace. To achieve that, mental health professionals, social workers and mental health beneficiaries, policy makers and community at large, regionally and internally each are responsible to the suffering civilians due to war; and to protect and create meaning in their lives.

Africans or humanity needs to re-discover sense of communalism –an amazing source of natural medicine –itself. For example, in case of long time illness family members and friends become key players in the healing process or in dignifying death.

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