[UNOCT] The new face of terrorrism
Another hurdle for humanity to overcome.
The past few years has seen a rise in novel forms of terrorism due to improvements in science and technology.
Terrorism continues to mutate and infect every corner of the earth, continually presenting challenges for governments to overcome.
Two facets of terrorism stand out: Bioterrorism and Cyberterrorism.
Bioterrorism predates cyberterrorism, with the most famous case taking place decades ago, in 1995.
"Sarin." Wikipedia. July 31, 2021.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarin#Health_effects.
Walsh, Joe. "Here Are Some Of The Major Hacks The U.S. Blamed On Russia In The Last Year." Forbes. June 02, 2021.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/06/01/here-are-some-of-the-major-hacks-the-us-blamed-on-russia-in-the-last-year/?sh=1b1fcb635b9e.
The past few years has seen a rise in novel forms of terrorism due to improvements in science and technology.
Terrorism continues to mutate and infect every corner of the earth, continually presenting challenges for governments to overcome.
Two facets of terrorism stand out: Bioterrorism and Cyberterrorism.
Bioterrorism predates cyberterrorism, with the most famous case taking place decades ago, in 1995.
The cult Aum Shinrikyo amassed the nerve gas Sarin, which affects the body’s neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
They proceeded to release the gas in Tokyo’s subway trains, killing 14 and injuring 5800 commuters.
Since then, the group has splintered into three new factions, and have collected millions of dollars in funds.
The attack lives in infamy among the Japanese, and one would expect that the Japanese government would do anything to prevent such an attack from happening again.
However, this is not the case.
When asked about his views on the splinter groups, the response by the delegate of Japan was underwhelming.
According to the delegate, Japan is merely surveilling these factions, and has made no move to stop them from acquiring their large reserves.
The government only plans to stop the terrorists after they receive intel that an attack is in the works.
It seems counterproductive to only prosecute malefactors after terror factions have established a concrete plan, considering that it increases the risks of damages to civilians.
One of the resolutions passed by UNOCT was to create an early warning framework to inform the world in the event of a bioterror attack.
However, this raises many concerns to the countries that are not in the favour of the west.
While an early warning system is a credible idea in theory, there are inherent biases that cause this method to be riddled with fault.
Delegates claim that the world will be notified within 20 minutes of an attack.
North Korea fears that there may be misrepresentation of countries due to this system.
In the past, right-leaning xenophobes have claimed the COVID-19 virus was man-made, and part of a bioterror attack.
They proceeded to release the gas in Tokyo’s subway trains, killing 14 and injuring 5800 commuters.
Since then, the group has splintered into three new factions, and have collected millions of dollars in funds.
The attack lives in infamy among the Japanese, and one would expect that the Japanese government would do anything to prevent such an attack from happening again.
However, this is not the case.
When asked about his views on the splinter groups, the response by the delegate of Japan was underwhelming.
According to the delegate, Japan is merely surveilling these factions, and has made no move to stop them from acquiring their large reserves.
The government only plans to stop the terrorists after they receive intel that an attack is in the works.
It seems counterproductive to only prosecute malefactors after terror factions have established a concrete plan, considering that it increases the risks of damages to civilians.
One of the resolutions passed by UNOCT was to create an early warning framework to inform the world in the event of a bioterror attack.
However, this raises many concerns to the countries that are not in the favour of the west.
While an early warning system is a credible idea in theory, there are inherent biases that cause this method to be riddled with fault.
Delegates claim that the world will be notified within 20 minutes of an attack.
North Korea fears that there may be misrepresentation of countries due to this system.
In the past, right-leaning xenophobes have claimed the COVID-19 virus was man-made, and part of a bioterror attack.
Due to the fact that UNOCT failed to mention who the party responsible for classifying an attack would be, one can only hope that it would be someone who is relatively unbiased.
Under the control of a bigot, the system will allow the spread of misinformation, which is the last thing that is needed in the midst of a bioterror attack.
Similar logical fallacies plague UNOCT’s response to cyberterrorism.
They intend for developed countries to share resources with less developed countries, in order to advance security systems.
This idea is incredibly easy for terrorists to exploit.
No country is impervious to cyberattacks, and if countries share their software with each other, when one country is attacked, all other countries will fall along with it.
For example, hackers managed to access information from several US government agencies and companies in late 2020.
If the proposed system had existed during the time, there is no telling what damage could have been done to government agencies across the world.
The other concern in facing cyberterrorism threats is infringement of privacy.
The US government is no stranger to blatantly disrespecting the privacy of their citizens, as was revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013.
Little has been done to assure the public that their privacy is being respected, though that is what the US delegate claimed when asked if boundaries are being violated.
In contrast, our great country has faced no terror attacks in the past few years, as our great leader has done the utmost to protect our citizens without violating their basic human right to privacy, unlike Japan and the US.
North Korea continues to be an example in security, leading the rest of the world as we charge towards an even safer society.
We hope that other countries will look to us for guidance, as we are willing to support any other country in the fight against terror, regardless of any ideological differences.
Bibliography
"Japan's Subway Sarin Attack Doomsday Cult Aum Shinrikyo 'still a Threat'" South China Morning Post. July 18, 2020.
Under the control of a bigot, the system will allow the spread of misinformation, which is the last thing that is needed in the midst of a bioterror attack.
Similar logical fallacies plague UNOCT’s response to cyberterrorism.
They intend for developed countries to share resources with less developed countries, in order to advance security systems.
This idea is incredibly easy for terrorists to exploit.
No country is impervious to cyberattacks, and if countries share their software with each other, when one country is attacked, all other countries will fall along with it.
For example, hackers managed to access information from several US government agencies and companies in late 2020.
If the proposed system had existed during the time, there is no telling what damage could have been done to government agencies across the world.
The other concern in facing cyberterrorism threats is infringement of privacy.
The US government is no stranger to blatantly disrespecting the privacy of their citizens, as was revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013.
Little has been done to assure the public that their privacy is being respected, though that is what the US delegate claimed when asked if boundaries are being violated.
In contrast, our great country has faced no terror attacks in the past few years, as our great leader has done the utmost to protect our citizens without violating their basic human right to privacy, unlike Japan and the US.
North Korea continues to be an example in security, leading the rest of the world as we charge towards an even safer society.
We hope that other countries will look to us for guidance, as we are willing to support any other country in the fight against terror, regardless of any ideological differences.
Bibliography
"Japan's Subway Sarin Attack Doomsday Cult Aum Shinrikyo 'still a Threat'" South China Morning Post. July 18, 2020.
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3093734/japans-subway-sarin-attack-doomsday-cult-aum-shinrikyo-still.
"Sarin." Wikipedia. July 31, 2021.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarin#Health_effects.
Walsh, Joe. "Here Are Some Of The Major Hacks The U.S. Blamed On Russia In The Last Year." Forbes. June 02, 2021.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/06/01/here-are-some-of-the-major-hacks-the-us-blamed-on-russia-in-the-last-year/?sh=1b1fcb635b9e.
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