project in english.
by edwin john alido.

THE EVOLUTION OF TERRORISM

“The public's perception of personal risk, however, often does not fit together with the observable dimensions of the terrorist threat. “

Terrorism has occurred throughout history for a variety of reasons. Its causes can be historical, cultural, political, social, psychological, economic, or religious—or any combination of these. Some countries have proven to be particularly susceptible to terrorism at certain times. Terrorist violence escalated precipitously in those two countries for a decade before declining equally dramatically. Other countries have proven to be more resistant, and have experienced only a few isolated terrorist incidents.

In general, democratic countries have provided more fertile ground for terrorism because of the open nature of their societies. In such societies citizens have fundamental rights, civil liberties are legally protected, and government control and constant surveillance of its citizens and their activities is absent. In broad terms the causes that have commonly compelled people to engage in terrorism are grievances borne of political oppression, cultural domination, economic exploitation, ethnic discrimination, and religious persecution. Perceived inequities in the distribution of wealth and political power have led some terrorists to attempt to overthrow democratically elected governments. To achieve a fairer society, they would replace these governments with socialist or communist regimes. Finally, some terrorists are motivated by very specific issues, such as opposition to legalized abortion or nuclear energy, or the championing of environmental concerns and animal rights. They hope to pressure both the public and its representatives in government to enact legislation directly reflecting their particular concern.

At the same time, for every terrorist success, there are the countless failures. Terrorism is designed to threaten the personal safety of its target audience. It can tear apart the social fabric of a country by destroying business and cultural life and the mutual trust upon which society is based. Uncertainty about where and when the next terrorist attack will occur generates a fear that terrorism experts call “vicarious victimization.” A common response to this fear is the refusal to visit shopping malls; attend sporting events; go to the theater, movies, or concerts; or travel, either abroad or within one’s own country.

THE ALARMING RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES

The rate of unemployment in the country rises around .2% each year and currently having 9.8% for this year. This is alarming because it implies that other economic indicators were less favorable. A population growth rate of 3.5 percent nullified most of the gain in economic growth. Cost of consumer goods went up, though the government tried to hold the line on the prices of rice, corn, sardines, corned beef, and milk. Wages lagged behind prices. A rice shortage kept the public in a state of uneasiness. Unemployment remained a problem, and the poor were in need of low-cost housing. The success of decontrol measures created optimism among businessmen, but they worried about the future. They were uneasy about tariff, tax, and investment policies.

Unemployment, enforced idleness of wage earners who are able and willing to work but cannot find jobs. In societies in which most people can earn a living only by working for others, being unable to find a job is a serious problem. Because of its human costs in deprivation and a feeling of rejection and personal failure, the extent of unemployment is widely used as a measure of workers' welfare. The proportion of workers unemployed also shows how well a nation's human resources are used and serves as an index of economic activity. The economic position of the Philippines may be said to have gradually deteriorated. Import controls were not sufficiently effective and it was doubly difficult to enforce them in an election year. Imports continued to exceed exports, sometimes at a ratio of almost two to one, and reserves were seriously depleted.

Building continued at a boom level but the entire economic structure was inflationary. Wage increases did not keep pace with rising living costs and there was some unemployment. The influx of foreign capital did not come up to expectations. Industrialization continued to be an emphasized goal, but in many cases projects had to rely upon imports of machinery and even raw materials to get under way. This situation actually hurt the trade balance position.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: THE SOLUTION TO MAN’S PROBLEM

Indeed, the concept that science provides the ideas for technological innovations and that pure research is therefore essential for any significant advancement in industrial civilization is essentially a myth. Most of the greatest changes in industrial civilization cannot be traced to the laboratory. Fundamental tools and processes in the fields of mechanics, chemistry, astronomy, metallurgy, and hydraulics were developed before the laws governing their functions were discovered. The steam engine, for example, was commonplace before the science of thermodynamics elucidated the physical principles underlying its operations.

In recent years a sharp value distinction has grown up between science and technology. Advances in science have frequently had their bitter opponents, but today many people have come to fear technology much more than science. For these people, science may be perceived as a serene, objective source for understanding the eternal laws of nature, whereas the practical manifestations of technology in the modern world now seem to them to be out of control.

Technology is classified into two – the appropriate and inappropriate. A classic example of inappropriate technology is that of tractors provided for agriculture in Africa. The necessary infrastructure and specialized skills to keep the tractors maintained were largely lacking, so that after a short period the tractors became heaps of rusting material. A second example is a project that introduced an automated factory to produce plastic sandals. The traditional sandal makers were put out of work, the raw material had to be imported, and, though economic growth according to conventional measurements occurred, poverty increased. Examples of successful appropriate technologies are small-scale hydroelectric facilities in Nepal, Wales, and Peru. Energy-efficient cooking stoves in Kenya and Sri Lanka provide employment for the producers, and save time and money for the users; food-processing courses in Bangladesh include not only the technical aspects of food processing, but the packaging and marketing of products.Today there is a fierce contest between the proponents of high technology and those who increasingly support the appropriate technology approach. Advocates of appropriate technology argue that the high-consumption way of life of the richer countries must be abandoned, and appropriate technologies must be adopted in place of those that increase unemployment and damage the environment.

FIRST STEP TO WORLD PEACE

In attempting to prevent war, peacemakers must achieve four principal goals. A climate of feeling favorable to peace must be established; the potential causes of conflict, inherent in such factors as economic competition, the quest for power, and fear of foreign domination, must be eliminated or minimized; means for the settlement of disputes must be provided, as in mediation, arbitration, and trial procedures; and, finally, ways must be found to ensure observance of the settlements that are made. Several distinctive approaches to achieving these goals have been advanced.

Many other international peace organizations also continue to exist. The greatest impetus to pacifism in modern times was the development and use of nuclear weapons at the close of World War II. Faced with the possibility of total nuclear war, many previously uncommitted individuals joined pacifists throughout the world in working for a ban against the production of nuclear weapons, for the cessation of the testing of such weapons, and for the disarmament of those nations already possessing them.

Less absolute antiviolence advocates other codes of behavior. Some pacifists bar the use of force and urge moral persuasion but also encourage passive resistance to achieve their goals. Two examples of this approach are the resistance offered to British rule in 20th-century India and the civil disobedience of American civil rights activists. Critics of this view contend that even passive resistance provokes frustration, resentment, and further oppression on the part of an aggressor.

Many peace lovers believe that peace can be maintained only by a readiness to use force in certain circumstances, usually characterized as defensive. One approach permits armed defense against attack, but not assistance to other nations being attacked. Proponents of the theory of collective security urge a defensive combination of peace-loving nations against violators of the peace. If such a policy is not to result merely in a system of rival alliances, it must be implemented by international machinery that is able not only to make settlements but to enforce them as well.

[wala lang. wala kasi akong maggawa eh. erg.]