Major Developments In Terrorism Since The 1970's

There have been a number of major developments in terrorism from the 1970s; elements that are considered different to those that once characterised ‘traditional’ terrorism now have a significant presence in modern terrorism. However, these developments are reflections of our changing world and society, and do not justify identifying that a ‘new terrorism’ has emerged since the late 1980s.

The prominent developments in terrorism since the 1970s, that is claimed to make terrorism ‘new’, firstly includes a shift in the nature of terrorist organisations. Secondly, there has been change in the structure of the networks comprising terrorist groups. Thirdly, terrorists use weapons that maximise the number of casualties they cause, mainly weapons

Scholars argue that the ‘new terrorism’ is comprised of mainly religious groups, for which religion and fanaticism are the primary motivators, and are essentially right-wing. The aims of these groups are also apocalyptic and have elements of mysticism. However, even the left wing terrorist organisations from the past had connections to religion. Members of Irish Republican Army (IRA) were mainly Catholic, and the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo group, which, perpetrated the 1995 subway Sarin attack in Tokyo, was a doomsday cult. It is illogical to assume that religious terrorism is a new as it existed well before the late 1980s. According to Duyvesteyn, ‘…religiously inspired terrorism aimed at killing others has existed for millennia”. Although the number of religiously motivated terrorist organisations has increased, in contrast to a decline in secular ones, it cannot be said that religious terrorism is a new phenomenon. It is also argued by some that new terrorist organisations lack political goals, unlike traditional groups. However, the aims of new terrorist arguments have political elements. For example, the 9/11 attacks conducted by Al Qaeda had the aim of expelling the US from the Middle East. This motive was territorial and political in nature, similar to traditional terrorist organisations. Additionally, Osama bin Laden, was inspired by the teachings of Sayyid Qutb, who

However, traditional terrorist organisations did not limit themselves in the number of victims they caused. For example, n 1983, 200 Americans were killed as the result of the bombing of U.S barracks in Lebanon, a significantly large number of casualties. New terrorists are also said to be indiscriminate in who they target. However, there is evidence to suggest that this is not always the case. The World Trade Centre was targeted during the 9/11 attack, and it was considered a symbol of Western capitalism. The use of weapons of mass destruction is a major development, but has not been used frequently enough to conclude that this is a trend in new terrorism; new terrorists still mainly rely on conventional