Topic > Tactics, financing and weapons of mass destruction

According to the Global Terrorism Index, the number of terrorism-related deaths has reduced globally. The vast majority of terrorist attacks occur in developed countries. Furthermore, terrorism is still spreading to other countries due to radicalization. In an effort to study the behavioral tendencies exhibited by terrorist researchers, they determined that the way terrorist attacks are perpetrated has shifted from sophisticated to more low-cost, low-tech, and lone-actor based (Hummel, 2016). This implies that terrorism has evolved over the years. Tactics like this provide insight into the evolution of terrorism and its source of funding. ISIS is ranked among the richest terrorist groups globally. Therefore, it is important to identify where terrorist organizations obtain funding to suppress their operations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Most of the funding terrorist groups have is for state-sponsored terrorism and oil smuggling. According to Hummel, the state funding model is one in which a country finances a terrorist organization so that its interests are applied to the enemy. When the interests of the terrorist group and the specific nation are similar, that's why they are sponsored. However, state-sponsored terrorism can be traced back to the Cold War era. Oil smuggling has been directly linked to activities encouraged by sponsor states to hide money transfers. For example, in 2016 there was a report that ISIS generated millions of dollars in revenue from daily smuggling of oil through Syria and Iraq. However, nowadays terrorists have become less dependent on state sponsors (Forest, 2013). Another place where terrorist organizations obtain funding is through charities. For example, Saudi Arabia has been classified as a major hub for al-Qaeda's charitable activities (Forest, 2013). Although the country's officials have tried to stop the financing of terrorist organizations through charities. Charities still play an important role in sponsoring terrorism, particularly in the Islamic region. Studies show that donations occur in the form of promoting Islamic programs while others with the direct intent of strengthening terrorism and promoting radicalization (Hummel, 2016). Charities remain one of the main and most significant ways of funding that terrorist organizations receive. Furthermore, business and popular support models are important and play a significant role in financing terrorist activities. Most of these groups enjoy support from different areas such as type of community, ideology, ethnicity, religion and any other form of identity. In many cases this occurs in the form of donations or the exploitation of various geographical resources. Terrorists may also operate under the umbrella of managing, legitimizing, and operating commercial enterprises to raise funds (Hummel, 2016). Some of these businesses are automobile sales companies, import-export, high-tech laboratories, construction and shipping companies. They also receive help in different forms, such as loans from investment banks and finance companies. For example, in the 1990s al-Qaeda had numerous legitimate businesses such as a tannery, construction,.