Bombs and Ballot: Decoding terrorism and governance

No matter where you are now or where you are going to appear tomorrow, the entire world is under the threat of the 20th century phenomenon. There's something weird in the air making us fragile and problem is that compared to the causes of AIDS, the roots of terror are hidden in disguise and nobody's safe. Today, the world is threatened less by conquering states than by failing ones and state fragility has become the toughest development challenge of our era as seen in Pakistan-Afghan border, Syria, East African corridor from Sudan to Mozambique. Terrorism is a long-term global challenge. Terrorism demands a consistent, comprehensive and coordinated international response based on common goals, values and institutions. This paper discusses case studies of different countries while addressing as to how good governance can be a tool to prevent terrorism. Governance is taken as the best antidote to counter global terrorism. Saudi Arabia has set an excellent example focusing its political will to fight terrorism. It has launched an aggressive campaign to cut off their sources of funding. At the end, this paper seeks to strengthen the international legal architecture and depoliticize national security within which we strive to prevent and combat terrorism.