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effect of 9/11 on america
definition of terrorism 60 words
definition of terrorism 60 words
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On September 11, 2001, the destruction of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon changed the mindset and the opinion of nearly every American on the one of the most vital issues in the 21st century: terrorism (Hoffman 2). Before one can begin to analyze how the United States should combat such a perverse method of political change, one must first begin to understand what terrorism is, where it is derived from, and why there is terrorism. These issues are essential in America’s analysis of this phenomenon that has revolutionized its foreign policy and changed America’s stance in the world.
The word terrorism was first used during the French Revolution from the reign of terror inflicted by the French from 1784-1804 ("International Affairs"). It was used to describe the violent acts perpetrated on the French that inflicted terror on the various peoples and instilled fear within them. However, at the time it had a more positive connotation than the term that instills fear today. During the French Revolution this was because it referred to state-sponsored terrorism in order to show the need of state instead of anarchy, sometimes promoted by other groups (Hoffman 2). Therefore, even though terrorism has taken a new nature, terrorism can refer to official governments or guerrilla groups operating outside national governments ("International Affairs"). In order to encompass terrorism’s various sectors and explain it to the public, in both positive and negative aspects, many analysts have tried to put it into a few words. Terrorism is a method used by tightly of loosely organized groups operation within states or international territories that are systematic in using deliberate acts of violence or threats in order to instill...
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...ctual demand of terrorism will consummate the underlying issue ("International Affairs"). Though the United States cannot currently “win the hearts and minds of the Middle East in the short run”, we can take immediate action that will contribute to the end of terrorism and stabilization of the Middle East.
Works Cited
Davis, Paul B. "The Terrorist Mentality." Cerebrum: The Dana Forum on Brain Science 3.3 (2001): 22-23. The Dana Press. Web. 23 May 2011. .
Hoffman, Bruce. "Inside Terrorism." Cerebrum:The Dana Forum on Brain Science 3.3 (1998): 2-3. New York: Columbia Universtity Press. Web. 23 May 2011. .
International Affairs." Personal interview. March.-May. 2011.
Telhami, Shibley. "Understanding the Challenge." The Middle East Journal 25 (2002): 9-18. The Middle East Journal. Web. 22 May 2011.
In today’s society the word “terrorism” has gone global. We see this term on television, in magazines and even from other people speaking of it. In their essay “Controlling Irrational Fears After 9/11”, published in 2002, Clark R. Chapman and Alan W. Harris argue that the reaction of the American officials, people and the media after the attacks of 9/11 was completely irrational due to the simple fact of fear. Chapman and Harris jump right into dismembering the irrational argument, often experienced with relationships and our personal analysis. They express how this argument came about from the terrorist being able to succeed in “achieving one major goal, which was spreading fear” among the American people (Chapman & Harris, para.1). The supporters of the irrational reaction argument state that because “Americans unwittingly cooperated with the terrorist in achieving the major goal”, the result was a widespread of disrupted lives of the Americans and if this reaction had been more rational then there would have been “less disruption in the lives of our citizens” (Chapman & Harris, para. 1).
The terrorist attacks of September 11 led to a lot of pressure from the public to find those responsible and bring them to “justice”. In order to do so, President Bush declared a war on terrorism just a few days after the attacks, but little did he know that this very decision would also bring devastating consequences to many countries. Over time, people have been losing faith in the war and in its purpose. Consequently, countries whose economies have fallen under the Military Industrial Complex have manufactured a societal fear against Muslims and jihadists. As a result, they are now being stigmatized and portrayed as the enemies of democracy, and of the United States in particular. To make matter worse, it has driven western countries to implement many extreme security measures that undermine the democratic principles they are attempting to spread over the world. The war on terrorism has had many negative consequences on modern society, which include a legitimization crisis of democracy, mainly in the U.S, and the manufacturing of moral panics over security risks that have led to the criminalization and stigmatization of the Arab world.
The tragedy of 9/11 affected Americans with an everlasting effect. It open American people’s eyes to the world of terrorism causing an array of emotional, behavioral and ethical changes. Understanding the history of terrorism will help us determine the why behind such acts. Is Terrorism political? Is it a religious cause? Is it to cause confusion amongst a nation so that they don’t trust their government and seek out something or someone else for it? As (Nigdy, & Ritchie, 2018) have identified, terrorism has its roots from first century AD. A terrorist Jewish organization broken down into two groups, the Sicarii and the Zealots. The Sicarii who targeted other Jews that were collaborating with the Roman government and the Zealots who targeted
It is therefore imperative that the fight against terrorism focuses on preventive rather than reactive strategies that involve understanding how terrorism works and what can be done to prevent terror attacks. One way of achieving this is through learning the psychology of terrorist group recruitment. Understanding this psychology is important as it will raise awareness to the general public to understand how terrorists are recruited and how they can avoid being recruited into terrorist organizations. In addition, anti-terrorist groups and policy experts may use this knowledge to develop interventions or policies that discourage and prevent terrorist group recruitment. This paper will focus on the psychology of terrorist group recruitment and the discussions will be summarized at the end.
Finding a proper, well-accepted definition of what constitutes terror is extremely difficult. There are many challenges that confront scholars, experts, and everyday people when it comes to defining terrorism and terrorists. Differing backgrounds and cultures of those defining terror in addition to differing histories are just one of the many challenges facing those that wish to define terror. Furthermore, labeling a group or an individual as a terrorist could be considered offensive, especially in today’s politically correct environment, potentially damaging those in the political arena. However, on the flip side, labeling someone as a terrorist can also serve a political purpose as in the case of being propaganda towards a war effort, or to help define an enemy. Nevertheless, the main problem with not being able to have a widely accepted definition of terrorism is that “It is impossible to formulate or enforce international agreements against terrorism” (Ganor, 300).
What internally drives a terrorist’s motivation varies from subject to subject. While the average American citizen would likely be quick to point terrorists hate the western way of life and what it represents, the issue is far more complex. Simon Cottee’s article “What Motivates Terrorists?” (2015), looks at various levels of motivation. Prior definitions of terrorism looked at the defining cause as possibly psychological abnormalities within in the individual (Cottee, 2015). As studies have evolved, the focus has shifted to the environment in which the terrorist is surrounded. While certainly there is cases in which a person who is mentally unstable could be an ideal target for terrorist propaganda, the number of cases involving mental
As David Canter stated in his book, The Faces of Terrorism: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, “Terrorism is multifaceted and, as a consequence, no one explanation, theory or discipline will ever fully account for all terrorist activities. However, the psychological and social psychological processes that lead any given person to commit a terrorist act tend to have been under-represented in the terrorist literature. This is doubtless in part due to the difficulty of conducting studies that engage directly with those individuals who carry out terrorist acts.” (Canter 1) Basically, Canter discusses how terrorism, as discussed before, is not a one-sided act.
Under the social psychological conditioning, the first phase entails depluralization, which is followed by self-deindividualization, then other-deindividualization, dehumanization and lastly demonization. These five phases are applicable to terrorism in the order they appear in social psychological condi...
This paper seeks to analyze the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center’s North and South Towers, the Pentagon, and the attempted attack on the White House, on the morning of September 11th, 2001. Using two different theories, that both offer an explanation as to why organizations employ terrorism, this paper will attempt to offer possible explanation as to why Al-Qaeda chose to employ terrorism, as opposed to other tactics, to further its goals as an organization.
Perry, G. E. (2005). Terrorism, Terror, and 9/11: a Review Essay. Domes 14 (1), 5.
In the past, it was common place for scholars to classify terrorist acts as pathological manifestations of an individual’s own psychological shortcomings.
The coordinated attack September 11th 2001 on the United States resulted in a prolonged war on terror; that is still active today. Many people are asking how this could happen. Others want to know how to prevent it from happing again. Some wonder if world peace will ever be possible. The United States does not think peace can be possible until the threat of terrorism becomes obsolete. There is no clear answer to the questions and concerns over terrorism although there are several schools of thought on how to respond to terrorism. This paper will discuss; realism, liberalism, and structuralism in an attempt to find a solution. I will offer Foreign Policy recommendations based on these theories; an examination regarding the application of these theories will show advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as how the United States applies them to combat and eliminate the threats of terrorism today.
Falk, Avner. Islamic Terror: Conscious and Unconscious Motives. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International, 2008. Print.
Terrorism is one of the most extensively discussed issues of our time and at the same time it is also one of the least understood. The term itself “terrorism” means many different things to different people, cultures, and races. As a result, trying to define or classify terrorism with one universal definition is nearly impossible. The definition of terrorism used in this research is a reflection of much of the Western and American way of defining it. The definition of terrorism is,
Terrorism is a vicious act that influences any criminal beyond the next victim. The plan of terrorists is to cause severe acts of violence that draws the attention of the local citizens, the government, and the world to their demise. The terrorists plan their attack to obtain the greatest power, choosing targets that represent what they hate. The effect of the terrorist act lies not in the act , but in the public’s or government’s response to the act. But the real target is the 1 million people watching the televised event. The irony of this fear can be from the threat of physical harm or mental harm, Cyber terrorism harming the technological of society and psychological terrorism made to enhance people 's behaviour. Terrorism is made to produce