Terrorism

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Terrorism
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• One man's terrorist is another man's freedom
  fighter.
• Ronald W. Reagan, 40th President of the United
  States, referring to Nicaragua's Contras

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Part A History of Terrorism
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What is terrorism?

• Websters Dictionary the systematic use of
  terror especially as a means of coercion
• Microsoft Encarta 97 use of violence, or the
  threat of violence, to create a climate of fear
  in a given population.
• US Army The calculated use of violence to
  attain goals that are political, religious, or
  ideological through intimidation, coercion, or
  instilling fear.

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• Terrorism is the use of force or violence
  against persons or property in violation of the
  criminal laws of the United States for purposes
  of intimidation, coercion or ransom. Terrorists
  often use threats to create fear among the
  public, to try to convince citizens that their
  government is powerless to prevent terrorism, and
  to get immediate publicity for their causes.
• US Federal Emergency Management Agency
• http//www.fema.gov/

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• Essentially political in aims and motives
• Violent - or, equally important, threatens
  violence
• Designed to have far-reaching psychological
  repercussions beyond the immediate victims
• Conducted by an organization with an identifiable
  chain of command or conspiratorial cell structure
  (whose members wear no uniform or identifying
  insignia) and
• Perpetrated by a subnational group or non-state
  entity.
• Bruce Hoffman. 1998. Inside Terrorism.
  http//polisci.home.mindspring.com/ptd_definition.
  html

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What do we know of terrorism?

• Terrorists usually target ethnic or religious
  groups, governments, political parties,
  corporations, and media enterprises.
• Terrorist groups are almost always small in size
  and limited in resources compared to the
  populations and institutions they oppose.

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Why terrorism?

• Through publicity and fear generated by their
  violence, they seek to magnify their influence
  and power to affect political change on either a
  local or an international scale.

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Four waves of terrorism

• Early terrorist activities were primarily
  religious.
• The earliest recorded terrorist group was the
  Zealots, a Jewish group fighting the Roman
  occupation of what is now Israel during the 1st
  century.
• The Jacobins in revolutionary France (1790s) are
  credited with creating a climate of terror that
  carries down today.

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Place-des-Jacobins. Lyons, France
http//www.hotels-in-lyon.com/place-des-jacobins.j
pg
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• Starting in the 19th century, terrorism became
  more political and revolutionary in nature.
  People who wanted to overthrow the system of
  government seized on violence as a means to
  achieve their goals.
• This movement became known as anarchy. It spread
  to Russia, Europe and the United States.
• Several significant world leaders were
  assassinated by anarchists.
• This first modern wave of terrorism continued up
  to the early 20th century.

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I heartily accept the motto, - "That government
is best which governs least" and I should like
to see it acted up to more rapidly and
systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts
to this, which I also believe, - "That government
is best which governs not at all" and when men
are prepared for it, that will be the kind of
government which they will have. Henry David
Thoreau "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience"
http//www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/bcaplan/t
horeau.jpg
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• The second wave of terror started extended from
  the 1920s until the 1960s.
• Aimed at achieving national independence for
  people in colonies.
• Since the focus was on the police of the colonial
  administration, they were usually replaced by the
  military, which often created their own
  atrocities fueling the populist movements.
• Independence movements were victorious.
• Eg, Mau-Mau in Kenya

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http//www.economist.com/images/20050101/0105BK1.j
pg
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• The third wave was brought about by the Vietnam
  War (mid 1950s to 1975).
• Small lightly armed groups of North Vietnamese
  soldiers were successful at attacking the US
  forces.
• Small communist groups in Europe and North
  America realized the battle could be carried to
  the heartland of capitalism the West.

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• In the last part of the 20th century, terrorist
  activities increased, driven by fierce
  ideological and nationalistic passions.
• The best example is the Middle East with the
  conflict between Israel and the Arab world.
• This conflict spilled across the region and to
  other parts of the world, notably Europe and the
  United States.
• eg., Munich Olympics 1972 and the PLO attack on
  Israeli athletes

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• In Europe, some idealists, inspired by Marxist
  and Maoist teachings, and supported by leftist
  sympathizers among the affluent middle classes
  ... aimed to bring about the collapse of the
  government by provoking its violent,
  self-destructive reaction.
• Some groups combined extreme left wing ideology
  with revolutionary nationalism. (The Shining Path
  in Peru the Sandinista national Liberation Front
  in Nicaragua.)

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• The best example is the West Germany Red Army
  Faction, or the Baader-Meinhoff Gang which in the
  1970s robbed banks, kidnapped and assassinated
  people, especially business and political
  leaders.
• They also attacked US military facilities, mainly
  through random bombings of personnel.
• By the end of the 70s most of the Red Army
  Faction had been arrested.

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Other examples include

• In Italy the Red Brigades (1970s).
• The Weather Underground in the US.
• Frances Direct Action.
• In Spain the Basques have been using terror
  tactics to create a separate Basque homeland
• In the British Isles terror has been part of the
  fight to reunite all of Ireland.
• The Aum Shinrikyo cult staged a poison gas attack
  on the Tokyo subway. (1995)

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Tokyo subway gas attack, March, 1995
http//polisci.home.mindspring.com/ptd_weaponry.ht
ml
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• Some international and domestic terrorism is
  neither left nor right, but ethnic-separatist in
  inspiration. (eg., Basques, FLQ, IRA)
• Ethnic terrorists often have more staying power
  than ideologically motivated ones, since they
  draw on a larger reservoir of public support.

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• Since 1900, the motivation, strategy, and weapons
  of terrorists has changed. The anarchists, and
  the left-wing terrorist groups that succeeded
  them, down through the Red Armies that operated
  in Germany, Italy, and Japan in the 1970s, have
  vanished the initiative has passed to the
  religious extremists.

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• This fourth wave of terrorism is often about
  religion, or at least in part rooted in religious
  extremism.
• From all the major religions.
• eg., Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols who blew
  up a US government building in Oklahoma had links
  to right wing Christian groups called by some
  Patriots.

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Oklahoma City bombing, 1995
http//polisci.home.mindspring.com/ptd_weaponry.ht
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Anti-American terrorism

• Two kinds domestic and foreign-sponsored.
• Domestic includes the anti-government labour
  activities in the early 20th century, leftist
  groups (e.g., the Weathermen) opposed to the US
  involvement in the Vietnam War, the Unabomber
  (anti-industrial), and the bombing of the Federal
  Building in Oklahoma by patriot extremists.

"You don't need a weatherman To know which way
the wind blows" Bob Dylan "Subterranean Homesick
Blues"
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• Foreign sponsored anti-American attacks on the US
  include the 1993 bombing of the World Trade
  Centre in NYC and the 1998 bombing of Pan Am
  Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

http//polisci.home.mindspring.com/ptd_weaponry.ht
ml
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And, of course, September 11.
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Part B The New Terror
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• The new terrorism is disquieting.
• Attacks are random, motives murky.
• Old terrorism was frightening but the new
  terrorism is different in that it doesnt appear
  to have a strategic goal.
• Seems couched in some visionary religion.
• It is anti-order and anarchy is in itself scary.
• Many attacks are suicidal.

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• Some experts believe that it is a mistake to
  think that these terrorist are people who have
  gone off their rockers.
• Most are rational, logical, deliberate and deeply
  devoted to their cause. They appear very normal.
• Some experts disagree with this notion. They see
  these terrorists as believing in conspiracy
  theories by hostile forces, and they suffer from
  delusion and persecution mania.

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• Most experts would agree that they are empowered
  with a sense of mission that overcomes feelings
  of desperation or helplessness.
• This is the root causes theory that the lives
  of terrorists are so full of misery and
  oppression that they strike out at what they see
  as the cause of their wretchedness.
• eg., Palestinian suicide bombers in Israel and
  Israeli occupied territory

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http//www.middle-east-online.com/pictures/big/_79
67_palestinian-suicide-bombers-28-11-2003.jpg
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• But this idea doesnt explain Osama bin Laden,
  who is from a wealthy Saudi family.
• Other factors must be involved, and one of the
  most key is religion. A lifetime of hatred and
  hate propaganda can make extremists out of some.
• Their beliefs become cult-like, and are convinced
  by charismatic leaders that they are doing holy
  work.

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US international actions prior to Sept 11

• Emphasis on military action, and economic and
  political sanctions.
• Military strikes often by cruise missiles and
  aircraft.
• While these attacks like these make for great
  politics and press at home, the reality is they
  are often counter-productive.

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Why counter-productive?

• Terrorist bases often have civilians living
  nearby - collateral damage.
• Often based on poor or faulty intelligence, eg.,
  Sudanese chemical weapons plant that turned out
  to be making pharmaceuticals.
• Strikes escalate terrorism as the terrorist seek
  revenge.

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http//www.orbital.com/images/Missiles/ASCMTargets
.jpg
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• Such attacks are serious infractions of
  international law, unless UN Security Council
  approves beforehand - the US has never sought
  such approval.
• Hypocritical The US itself has sponsored state
  terrorism - the March 1985 blast in Beirut that
  killed 80 and wounded 200 was ordered by
  President Reagan in an effort to kill an
  anti-American cleric.

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What should the US/West do?

• The most effective weapon in the war against
  terrorism would be to take measures that would
  lessen the likelihood for the U.S. and its
  citizens to become targets.
• Terrorist attacks are generally rooted in social,
  political, or economic desperation, which must be
  addressed for antiterrorism efforts to have any
  chance of success.

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• Change policies that victimize vulnerable
  populations in ways that result in them holding
  the U.S. responsible for their suffering and thus
  becoming easy recruits for anti-American
  terrorists.
• Move away from supporting irregular groups that
  may be prone to terrorism.
• End any direct involvement by any branch of the
  military, intelligence agencies, or any other
  part of the U.S. government in acts of terrorism.

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• Terrorists rarely emerge in democratic societies,
  therefore the US should promote political and
  economic democratization (ie., a fair
  distribution of wealth)
• Addressing terrorism strictly from a security
  point of view (airport security,
  counter-terrorism efforts, etc.) merely addresses
  the symptoms and not the fundamental cause of
  anti-US terrorism

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• Greater cooperation with other countries and
  international agencies would be effective in the
  short-term goal of counter-terrorism
• A unified strategy to eliminate the causes of
  oppression in the world would go a long way to
  improving the USs (and the Wests) image and
  reduce it as a target of terrorist attacks