The Decline of Terrorism
How not to let a positive trend get in the way of a good story
On the afternoon of Valentines Day, 2019, a massive explosion rocked a police convoy travelling in a place called Pulwuma, a district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. A young man named Adil Ahmad Dar, who had reportedly been harassed and humiliated by Indian security forces, drove an SUV loaded with 350kg of explosives into a bus, killing 49 people. Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist organisation based in Pakistan, quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, instantly heightening tensions in what is already a pretty tense part of the world.
The tragedy comes at a sensitive moment. India has elections coming up in a few weeks, and Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, has come out swinging. The president of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, was in the country at the time, and the two of them held a joint press conference stating that “terrorism is a serious threat to world peace and stability.” Indian officials announced the revocation of ‘most favoured nation’ trading status for Pakistan, put a youth exchange initiative between the countries on hold, and have begun blocking water flows from rivers originating in the disputed region. Imran Khan, the prime minister of Pakistan, has denied involvement and insisted on seeing evidence, promising the country will retaliate…
