All nations are thinking hard on how to contain the threat posed by the ISIS because all governments around the world are potential targets of the terrorist outfit. This is irrespective of whether a government is a democratically-elected one or not. Even a nation such as China is facing the threat of terrorism unleashed by the ISIS.
The threat posed by ISIS and the challenge to contain it are both real. What America is doing in its efforts against the terror outfit is reckless because repeated bombings or military interventions are not enough to contain the ISIS. While the police and the military are complementary parts of a bigger strategy against the ISIS, they are not the solution to the deeply-rooted, secretive and subversive danger such as the ISIS
Subjugation by force is not an answer to preventing the ISIS from expanding itself because with each military move, they would recruit more and indoctrinate new recruits with propaganda that would leave them resilient to pain or the fear of capture or death. Cruelty is the face of the IS and the way they kill their victims is ample proof of how imaginatively cruel they are.
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ISIS is not a territorial movement, but it has ideologies that are spread and propagated covertly. Therefore, it is not easy to distinguish its activities from other mainstream activities in the society. That they depend on the Internet to disseminate their ideologies makes them even more dangerous because we cannot police the Internet or prevent our children from being exposed to information that is being shared digitally.
The ISIS currently is focussing on Afghanistan, Pakistan, parts of India and Bangladesh to spread their activities. Kashmir, Northeastern India and Bengal are also in their focus. That they do not seem to be interested in South India does not mean that we can assume that this part of the nation is safe from them.
ISIS expands in phases. After disseminating its propaganda online, it recruits people aged between 15 and 28. Once it readies a team that it can reliably expect to carry out its activities, it waits for social unrest or significant events to happen and then exploits the situation. This is what happened in Bangladesh.
More than nations in Asia, IS has designs on France and Germany. While the UK has tried using intelligence to counter IS' plans, the initiative has largely been ineffective. France has been successful to a certain extent. However, these two models would not be effective in containing the IS on the long-term.
More than the government, the society would be effective against the ISIS. There is no point in denying the existence of the IS. What needs consideration is how it can be contained and exterminated. Therefore, what is needed is to prevent events that could add fuel to social unrest, which the IS can then exploit.
All activities that fuel social unrest and disharmony would only add impetus to the ISIS' plans. Even irresponsible statements would only help them. The society is responsible for bringing back those who were attracted to the ISIS; the society needs to be careful of the ISIS.
(The author is a former national security advisor and former governor of Bengal)
