The real danger of terrorism is not its intractability, ferocity or criminal violence it spawns but the pathetic failure of the civilised world to unite against the scourge. World leaders condemn terrorism and swing into action only when they themselves or their close allies happen to be victims. Else, they have no qualms about using terrorism to further their interests, to hell with global peace.

Intrastate unity against terrorism is also sadly lacking. In Sri Lanka, which always seeks the assistance of the outside world to battle terrorism, both main parties, the UNP and the SLFP have abominably thrown in their lot with terrorists to win elections at one time or another. When the LTTE terrorists attacked civilian targets in the 1980s under the UNP's watch, the SLFP chose to condemn the then government rather than the perpetrators. The SLFP even proclaimed that the country's war against terrorism was 'unwinnable'. Its ill-conceived position gnawed at the nation's will to conduct offensive warfare in no small measure. Today, the UNP is playing that role in the hope that the LTTE will one day cause the downfall of the present regime.

At the regional level, both India and Pakistan are accused of promoting terrorism against each other. India, which lost no time in condemning Pakistan over last week's terror strikes in Mumbai, it may be recalled, once stooped to the level of creating, arming, funding and nurturing Sri Lanka's terrorists to coerce its tiny southern neighbour, which it thought was gravitating towards the West, into falling in line.

Afghanistan would have been a peaceful country but for the creation by the US––ably assisted by Pakistan––of Mujahideen terror and the Russian occupation of that country. Today, Frankenstein’s monster has come back seeking prey! The US and Pakistan are hoist with their own petard. The mighty US has been rendered impotent by a bunch of fanatical terrorists it helped create, and Pakistan, besides being a victim of ruthless Afghan terror, has its sovereignty undermined by the US, which is carrying out anti-terror raids well within the Pakistani territory without permission.

Britain seems to have joined the so-called league of nations sponsoring terrorism. It harbours terrorists of all sorts from the four corners of the globe and some of its lawmakers have become hirelings of criminals committing crimes against humanity elsewhere. The same goes for Canada, which has some of its legislators in the pocket of terrorists. The French and Scandinavian colonialists must be having a special place reserved in Hades for having turned Africa into a hellhole where humans are dying like flies at the hands of savage warlords.

Besides politicians and sovereign states, transnational businesses must take their share of the blame for heinous crimes committed by terrorists in some parts of the world. Wine that cultured CEOs of respectable firms manufacturing mobile phones and other electronic gadgets sip leisurely is the blood of the hapless Congolese men, women and children being killed in their thousands in a bloody conflict fuelled by the developed world's thirst for cheap Coltan, which is plundered by brutal terrorist groups in the pay of multinationals. Kathleen Kern in a well researched article, The Human Cost of Cheap Cell Phones (in the book, A game as old as empire edited by John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man), has this to say of the Congolese situation: "We had seen pictures of women who had been shot in the vagina, who had had salt rubbed in their eyes until they were blind (and thus they could not identify their assailants) who had been burned or had limbs amputated after being raped."

How various INGOs aggravated the conflict in Sierra Leone so that they could help themselves to blood diamonds is too well known to merit elaboration. Every conflict, be it in Africa or in Asia, has swarms of INGO and NGO activists or the captains of the 'victims industry' exploiting the human tragedy like vultures and making a comfortable living.

There is also a thriving global arms industry which needs conflicts to dispose of their lethal products. But for terrorists perpetuating conflicts around the globe, into which arms and ammunition worth billions of US dollars are poured annually, weapons manufacturers will have a hard time sustaining demand or expanding their markets.

Thus, it may be seen that though terrorism is a curse for many it is not without benefits for others––economic, political and military. Most victims of terrorism are voiceless and it is only when the powerful countries happen to be at the receiving end of the scourge that the world is jolted into waking up to the rapid deterioration of global security, as was said earlier.

Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil has resigned and its National Security Advisor M. K. Narayanan offered to quit over the Mumbai disaster. But, will that kind of response, however praiseworthy it may be, serve India's purpose? Their resignations will benefit India only if it can be guaranteed that their successors will be capable of neutralising threats against India. But, given the sheer magnitude of international terror that the world is struggling to deal with, it is doubtful that India or any other country could depend on individuals to square up to the threat effectively. Much more is required.

Most of the SAARC countries are afflicted with terrorism and what is called for is a concerted effort to defeat the evil at the regional level. It was only a few moons ago that the SAARC leaders who met in Colombo made a grand show of their commitment to fighting terrorism and passed a grandiose resolution to that effect. The time has come for them to prove their bona fides by translating their much advertised commitment into action.

Let their resolve be steeled and tested over bleeding Mumbai.

All the world leaders have vowed to stand with India as they have realised the grave danger global democracy is faced with. Terrorists have demonstrated their ability to take targets anywhere in the democratic world with ease. Today it is Mumbai and tomorrow it may be any other city––may be little Colombo or even Washington or Islamabad. No country is safe from terrorism.

It is the civilised world's turn to shed differences and be united to respond to terrorism. There is no other way.