News Highlights:
- The tenth Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report shows Afghanistan continues to be the nation most affected by terrorism for the fourth consecutive year.
- India ranked 13th on the index, marking only a marginal decrease from the previous year.
Highlights of the Global Terrorism Index (GTI):
- Global scenario:
- The Index shows that globally, deaths from terrorism fell by 9% to 6,701 deaths, marking a 38% decrease from its peak in 2015.
- Pakistan recorded the second-largest surge in terror-related deaths worldwide in 2022, with the toll increasing significantly to 643.
- South Asia remains the region with the worst average GTI score.
- South Asia recorded 1,354 deaths from terrorism in 2022.
- Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates were the deadliest terror group globally for the eighth consecutive year, recording the most attacks and deaths of any group in 2022.
- Indian scenario:
- India was listed among countries with a “high” impact of terrorism and ranked 13th.
- India was among the 25 worst terror-hit countries and among 56 of the 120 nations surveyed with no respondents selecting war and terror as the biggest threat to their daily safety.
- The report lists the Communist Party of India (Maoist) as the 12th deadliest terror group in 2022.
Global terrorism index:
- About:
- The Global Terrorism Index is an annual ranking produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace.
- As even the definition of terrorism is hotly debated, it is essential to highlight that the methodologies used to measure terrorism are also contested.
- Indicators:
- The Global Terrorism Index ranks 163 countries on four indicators weighted over five years.
- These four factors are the number of terrorist incidents per year, the number of fatalities caused by terrorists per year, the number of injuries caused by terrorists per year, and the total property damage caused by terrorism per year.
- Data collection:
- The GTI is based on data from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) which is collected and collated by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland
- Significance:
- The index provides a comprehensive summary of the key global trends and patterns in terrorism since 2000.
- It produces a composite score in order to provide an ordinal ranking of countries on the impact of terrorism.
Challenges Related to Terrorism Globally:
- Terror Financing:
- According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, criminals are estimated to launder up to four trillion dollars a year.
- Fund movements by terrorists have also been concealed through charities and alternative remittance methods.
- It taints the international financial system and erodes public trust in the integrity of the system.
- Politicisation of Countering Terrorism:
- The members of the United Nations Security Council (P5) have exercised veto power to varying degrees when it comes to identifying terrorists.
- Also, the absence of universally accepted definitions for what constitutes terrorism provides terrorists with an edge and allows some countries to remain silent and veto any action at global institutions.
- Use of Emerging Technology by Terrorists:
- Innovations in computing and telecommunications like widespread internet access, end-to-end encryption, and virtual private network (VPN) have made new types of operations possible for a higher number of radicalised individuals across the globe, contributing to the threat.
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Content Source: The Indian Express