Government Actions in the Demise of the Thugs 1829-1835 and Sikh Terrorists 1980-1993 and Lessons for the United States
Abstract
Faced with the very substantial threat of terrorist attack, the United States must ask the question, "What actions were taken by other states in the past to successfully combat terrorism?" Knowledge of those steps may lead to a greater understanding of what actions are desirable, necessary, or simply unavoidable in U.S. counterterrorism efforts. Having such an understanding is needed to plan policies, strategies, and tactics that are effective and acceptable to citizens and to the international community. The history of successful counterterrorism campaigns against the Thugs 1829-1835 and Sikh terrorists 1980-1993 in India show a number of commonalities in the actions taken by the governments in power at that time. The campaign against the Thugs in the early 19th century was waged by the British Colonial Government. The campaign against the Sikh terrorists in the late 20th century was waged by the Indian Federal Government. In both cases, abridgement of civil liberties, as per present day standards in the United States, played a major role in the governments' campaigns. These two cases, as well as other historic cases, lead to the conclusion that following successful terrorist attacks, civil liberties will be curtailed. The United States must expect this curtailment and should take actions to ensure that these actions are temporary, warranted, effective, and do not transgress more than necessary on the nation's fundamental moral values. There is no intent to either condone or condemn the actions taken by the governments in these histories. The actions were deemed necessary by those charged with meeting the challenge. However, since this thesis examines how civil liberties and human rights were affected by these counterterrorism campaigns, accusations and allegations of violations of the rights and liberties recognized in the present-day United States, if deemed credible, will be noted.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA439270
Entities
People
- John A. Coloe
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School