Understanding the changing face of extremist violence Premium

The consequences of, and aspects of, newer trends in extremist violence are being lost sight of, and this could have consequences for the future

The nearly three-year-old war in Ukraine and the subsequent Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East seem to have temporarily eclipsed all news across the world of other kinds of violence, specially those by disparate extremist groups. In the process, the consequences of, and aspects of, newer trends in extremist violence are being lost sight of, and this could have consequences for the future.

A RAND study published a couple of years ago in the United States, under the preferred headline ‘Changing Face of Hate, domestic extremist violence’, had indicated that important changes were constantly taking place in the realm of domestic terrorism and violent extremism. The obiter dicta of this study was that it is imperative for law enforcement officers to properly understand the nature of the changes that were taking place across the spectrum to be able to prepare for future eventualities.

The study, no doubt, had special relevance for the U.S. Yet, in a subliminal fashion, it did contain lessons for other countries as well. While India did not have to contend with the kind of militant organisations that existed in the U.S. in the latter half of the 20th century, the situation post the Second World War in India had not been a peaceful one, even as India gained independence.

As anyone aware of India’s post-Independence history would know, in the initial years, communal violence of varying intensity and a resurgent Communist movement, intent on embarking on a revolutionary path, had caused major problems for India. The ‘Tebhaga Movement’ in Bengal and the Communist uprising in Telangana in the late 1940s, were stark reminders of what the Communists were attempting, but fortunately they could not succeed.

The revolutionary spark, however, had not been completely extinguished. In the late 1960s, and for many years thereafter till the end of the 20th century, Communist extremism did prove to be a major bane for the Indian state. The Naxalite Movement (as it came to be known) did have enough ideological appeal left to spur a left-wing renaissance. For a time, it attracted the best and the brightest of youth in the country, though in course of time, the movement descended into mindless violence. During its heyday, left-wing extremists or Naxalites could establish sizeable pockets of influence across West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

Ideological appeal may not be enough to sustain a movement, but it is an important magnet, specially for ideologies such as left-wing extremism. It would, hence, be a mistake to believe that countries are easily insulated from the infiltration of pernicious doctrines. The takeaway from ideologies such as Naxalism is that they continue to lurk not too far below the surface. Strict vigil is, hence, called for.

The world has moved on since, and practitioners of revolutionary ideas have changed tack. Left-wing ideas seem to have given way to right-wing philosophies, and the second seems to have many new adherents. This may seem a relatively recent phenomenon, but has been gaining ground for some time, specially across Europe. In the recent period, for instance, Germany has turned increasingly xenophobic. Domestic politics in that country today is highly polarised. France faces an uncertain future, unsure whether further concessions would have to be made to the right wing, damaging France’s image as a ‘middle-of-the-road nation’. This is also accompanied by a steady erosion of trust in liberal values. As of now, the right-wing in Europe is no longer a fringe element. This has implications not only for Europe but also for much of the world.