The attacks in London and the attempted attack the very next day in Brussels are a part of a meta-narrative that has gradually encompassed the entire globe. Most of these individuals are “soldiers”, according to the latest radical umbrella ISIL, who respond to their “religious call”. Even age, suddenly doesn’t seem to be a factor. They could be from any background, demography, ethnicity, or age; and they could hit/strike at anything with the intent to effect maximum possible damage with the resources at their disposal. But, steering clear of the horrific nature, the intelligence or the lack of it in these lone wolves or concerted terrorist groups, let us consider what is suggestive of a malady that is quite malignant in character.

First things first. 
The rise of the irregulars like the Westminster attacker, on deeper inspection takes one to that point on the road that sees that the subcontinent – Indian geographical stretch – bestowed with the dubious distinction of legitimizing a concept that currently holds the 21st century in a vice-grip; for when the first time the Pashtun irregulars from Pakistan side descended on the state of Jammu and Kashmir to slaughter civilians immediately post the Indo-Pak separation and independence, they apparently caught the imagination of many political leaders across levels and colours the world over, and, when Zia ul Haq – at a later date and buoyed by their success – doctored the radicalization of an entire nation, nothing was left to imagination.

Neither irregular warfare nor religious war is a new concept. But what prompted their comeback celebration in the 20th century was the idea that while irregular war – based on political ideology – was an object with a limited shelf-life, an irregular army that took refuge under the banner of religion was nearly unlimited in its scope – in terms of wider support base and romantic appeal – leading to an enhanced longevity. Naturally, properly harnessed, they could be invaluable as assets of disruptions.

Two instances stand out, closer home: Kashmir insurgency, and Afghanistan War. Both highly successful, and both bearing trademark of Pakistan (which is a part of the subcontinent – hence very “Indian” in their brain). Both were results of some superb analysis of the “micro-climate” – the specific operational environment – which included geography, ecology, history, religion and politics. And while political-analysts like Robert Kaplan sure do talk about the coming of Anarchy and how the USSR-void is being filled up by smaller fragments none of which are strong and cohesive enough to morph into a formidable block (and probably don’t have the intention of doing so – this is my guess), these kind of lop-sided narrative steeped in self-righteousness and superiority complex, while celebrating the ‘super-power’ status of the USA and the ‘unipolarity’ of the world, completely obfuscates the fact that the re-birth of the irregulars was manufactured, like Spielberg’s Jurassic Park dinosaurs. Kashmir was first, and the Afghan mujahideen gang was the younger brother – created specifically to try and inflict maximum damage to the USSR – to cause the same void that guys like Kaplan now crib about apparently; and the two of them packed a punch strong enough for the so-called ‘super power’ to harness the concept to prop its economy that primarily rests on conflicts and military entanglements. Thus we are presented with post-1980 Eurasia, West Asia, North Africa and East Europe. Jeff Goldblum did point out in the movie that the dinosaurs had had their shot, lived their quota and were done away with naturally... and any effort to mutate them back in the present set-up would upset the balance and cause mayhem. But I don’t think the movie-goers liked that dialogue anyway. That bit of sanity usually destroys a story even before it begins.

Now for the second (and last) point. 
Afghanistan. Djibouti. Sierra Leone. Algerian Civil War. Somalia. Serbian massacre. Kargil. Chechnya. Arab spring. Libya, Syria, Yemen... and of course Kashmir-Kashmir-Kashmir. These operations have all been based on the ‘outsourcing’ model. And no, I don’t mean the Blackwater mercenaries. Blackwater guys have had too much of a bad name because apparently they have been materialistic – greedy only for money and power. I meant religious irregulars like al Qaeda or LeT, or ISIL, or anyone you care to name – and there are hundreds of them. I am sure this is a good arrangement otherwise recruitment would be a problem. I am also sure that this is quite a successful business given the growth in market share. And with the recent influx of these lone wolves, this is probably a model for the future. Who knows, if the likes of Blackwater were smart, they would be taking refuge under some religious banner and talk only about their yearning for afterlife. And watch their goodwill AND business, both restored.

Which rehashes a point made at the beginning: the blending of a religious narrative renders legitimacy – makes an ugly act appear noble. But there are other important points to ponder upon. Like, what about the people?

The people are affected in a particular way. Painting any and every conflict through the religion-brush hits the core of an incredible number of people – billions of them; it makes them suspect their survival. Out of the two motivations, greed and fear, fear is by far the stronger sibling. Greed makes a goal desirable; fear makes it appear a necessity – and the casual jog turns into a sprint. The postmodern global leaders – born out of an incredibly low-IQ and brainless social system that is bereft of any of the great ideologies and concepts that shaped the past – are apt reflection of their nurturing ecology. That they would use the only means readily available to them, to motivate the followers is only natural. (The people that follow them are idiots too; they mostly miss this picture of a clear subservience to profits. Thanks to the internet, this has turned out to be an incredibly interconnected world for those that seek.)

To estimate the result of where the current conditions are leading us to, I have argued in the past and I would do so again – about the high probability of a global civil war. Not WWIII. A civil war. But ugly all the same. I guess the reader can understand the nature of the stretch without having to travel all the way taking small steps, that the absence of a cohesive religio-political reform system that is overdue among a few billion people (across all the major religions) scattered all around the globe, can only lead to a kind of a scenario that is extreme right-wing, suspicious, and views every event from a very basic survive-or-perish angle. Sadly this has come to pass. So far we have only been seeing the different Christian right-wing elements taking out processions seeking to change their leadership or turning into vigilantes across a few cases. Harsh though it appears, it is still suggestive of the strength of their residual faith in the different forms and systems of governance that have come to be accepted and legitimized over the past few centuries ,which is why they are still willing to rally behind a Trump or a Le Pen. Across the other end, the Islamic radicals are grownup enough to have dissociated themselves from their womb; they can walk now. Self-funded and self-propelled, they don’t need to draw nourishment from their host. If and when the same happens to the ones that they oppose – those that don’t subscribe to their version of religious and political ideology – a chaos of an unprecedented scale would be unleashed on the planet.

It is not particularly a proud moment in time for many of us hailing from this part of the world to live with the tag of ‘those that gave the world the irregular religious warriors’. It definitely won’t be any better on the mind when in the absence of much-needed reforms among billions, these isolated incidents escalate. But that’s how it is going to be. I can only hope that you guys are prepared for that.