By Henry Akubuiro
Global Terrorism and New World Order, Kenneth Nwuba, SCOA Heritage Publications, 2020, pp. 727
The first thing that strikes you on seeing Kenneth Nwuba’s Global Terrorism and New World Order is its size. At 727, the book is a tome. For a subject like global terrorism, it is no surprise that the author has given us a whopper. At no time in the history of humanity has the world contended with the tragedies of terrorism like now. From Iraq to Paris; from Afghanistan to Maiduguri, terrorism has become a huge monster maiming, killing and destroying everything on its path, while instilling fears into many hearts. Why is terrorism still fourishing today despite global efforts to checkmate its excesses? You cannot but ask.
Professor Kenneth Nwuba answers this poser and others in Global Terrorism and New World Order. The author, a distinguished scholar in International Law and Jurispudence, takes a holistic view on terrorism from a scholarly perspective. Thus, what we have here is not just a book unmasking global terrorism but one relevant for academics in relation to teaching poltiical science, international relations and jurisprudence courses. It is a teacher’s gourmet for fellow teachers and researchers.
The gamut of topics covered in Global Terrorism and New World Order include but not limited to philosophy of terror, threat of terrorism to liberal societies, types of terrorism, ideology and philosophy of terror, causes of terrorism in a liberal state and nuances of terrorism. Nwuba also deconstructs the psychology of terrorism, terrorists profiling, international terrorism beyond Osama Bin Laden, internal defence against terrorism, the new world order, among others. All these issues and many more are treated in three parts.
Nwuba offers the reader a comprehensive and exhaustive approach in global terrorism, beginning with pro-liberal and anti-liberal elements in political philosophy and the general principles of counter-terrorism strategies. This book tells us there is a philosophy backing the idea of terror. He writes: “Third world revolutionary heroes and erstwhile communist fundamentalists or fascists drew their support and identity with the hard-core leftist revolutionary intellectuals and their doctrines such as Jean-Paul Satre and Herbert Marcule and regard them as their revolutionary mentors” (p.19). However, the philosophy of terror contradicts the values of a liberal society. In fact, terrorist propagandists, explains the author, anchor and rationalise their actions on the reason that the government and security forces have themselves used violence and terror. Needless to say, non-political terrorism, like kidnapping, hostage-taking, sea piracy and armed robbery are the product of terrorism (p.42).
Nwuba does not only explain causes of local terrorism in Nigeria, he offers probable solutions to local terrorism. He further makes an elaborate effort to explain acts of hijacking, skyjacking, kidnapping, siege and hostage situations by terrorists in many parts of the world. The author points out that a new colouration of terrorist mindsets and threats is currently sweeping across the world, using local support and acceptance as an avenue to launch terrorist campaigns. A chapter is dedicated (13) to discuss Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) and Boko Haram, two formidable terrorist groups that have come out of Nigeria.
To understand psychological and sociological factors involved in the making of a terrorist effectively, you need to read up the second part of Global Terrorism and New World Order. The author uses the examples of Renato Curcio, Leila Khaled, Kozo Okamoto, Mahmud Abouhalima, Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, Mohammed Salameh, and Ahmed Ramzi Yousef as case studies of socio-psychological profiles. There are also group profiles of ethnic separatist groups, like Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE); social revolutionary groups, like Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC); religious fundamentalist group, like Al-Qaida, Hizbolah, etcetera.
In the third part of the book, the author is concerned with the New World Order and the motley of laws and conventions spearheaded by the UN to guide the menace of terrorism. In relation to the global power constellation, the author argues that the basic reason for the Security Council’s continuing inability to act in cases such as that Palestine vs Israel is because of “the hegemonic power constellation” — an imbalanced situation at the UN. Tell you what, you discover the incorporation of Covid-19 in the definition of terrorism.
Nwuba’s Global Terrorism and New World Order cannot be fully deconstructed in a short review. Minus the minimal production howlers, it behooves on all of us to get this book and divulge its rich contents.
