Contrasting Security Threats: Global Terrorism vs. India's Declining Naxalism
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Internal Security (Naxalism, Terrorism), Current Events.
Mains:
GS Paper 3: Linkages between development and spread of extremism; Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security; Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges; Security challenges and their management in border areas; basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention (Left Wing Extremism is a core topic).
GS Paper 2: Governance issues related to security.
Key Highlights from the News
Main Comparison: While global jihadi terrorism is strengthening in new forms (e.g., AI-enabled terror, 'lone wolf' attacks), Naxalite violence in India is on a declining curve.
Government's Claim: The Union Home Minister predicts Naxalism will be completely eradicated by 2026.
Decline of Naxalism:
Naxalism was once a strong ideologically-driven movement.
However, it later devolved into senseless violence, lost its all-India character, and faced internal conflicts.
Continuous military operations by the government, especially in the Dandakaranya region, weakened the movement.
Distinct Counter-Terrorism Strategies: India's anti-Naxal strategy is different from America's "War on Terror." The article states that in India's context, there are legal "checks and balances."
The Term 'Urban Naxal':
The article argues that this term is misused. True armed Naxalites had an ideology and organizational structure.
However, today's "urban naxals" are merely a group of intellectuals who oppose government policies and have little connection with actual Naxalites, the article states.
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