"Terrorism and guerrilla warfare, whether justified as resistance to oppression or condemned as disrupting the rule of law, are as old as civilization itself. The power of the terrorist, however, has been magnified by modern weapons, including television, which he has learned to exploit." (Guerrillas and Terrorists) There are many definitions and forms of terrorism: biological and chemical, nuclear, international, cyber, criminal, environmental, and US Domestic terrorism are some examples. Usually, terrorists blackmail governments with hostages to reach their ultimate goals. "In the 1980's, kidnapping was the preferred action of terrorists groups." (World History People and Nations) In some incidents, terrorists kill unsuspecting, innocent people and themselves as well.
The Purpose of Terrorism:
Why do people become terrorists and inflict terror? What is their true purpose? Why do they have to destroy the remaining peace in our world? Before this research, I realize that terrorism took so many forms. Since terror means fear, horror, and fright, terrorism was a just "horrible thing" to me. Now, it is an issue that has a great impact on our society and world; it is not to be taken lightly.
Many analysts, researchers, and professors have tried to define the purpose of terrorism. Some believe that that can only be achieved when we know how the mind of a terrorist works.
Terrorists are like pests that one can not get rid of. Like a virus being exposed to anti-bodies, they just get stronger and "immune" to our defenses. "Terrorists are nothing if not adaptable. International terrorists have shifted tactics and targets many times over the years in response to changing circumstances. Shifting political fortunes and new antiterrori...
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...mocrats and Republicans. The Act would have allowed the information obtained in this way to be used in court. Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.) said: "We do not need to give our government vast new powers." Members of civil liberties groups agreed, saying that this provision would have violated people's right to privacy. Other lawmakers argued that tragedies such as the Oklahoma City bombing make it essential that the federal government be allowed to monitor militia groups more closely." ("Domestic Terrorism, Close up Foundation, Online")
Is pushing an old lady off train platforms, an act of terrorism? The victim is an innocent wrinkled-up aged woman and the person pushing her is a "terrorist" to the victim's family. Others might think of the person as a cruel maniac. Therefore, it is essential that one puts into consideration the thoughts of others before defining terrorism.
What is the goal and objective of terrorism? The use of violence to influence a mass population to add hear to a set ideological, political, or criminal reason. Our case study has both of these elements. If we are to be more specific the group is labeled as a Home Grown Violent Extremist Group. This type of group is one of the hardest to detect due to their assimilation into our society. They do not stand out in any way or glaring fashion.
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
The future of America is definitely affected by terrorism and terrorism has benefited from the new technologies that aid and speed up communication around the world. Terrorists can use their tactics that they know and manipulate advanced technologies such as the internet. These technological advantages have certainly improved the capabilities of terrorist groups to plan and accomplish their operation. It also offers these terrorists the ability to affect communities faster and much more intensely than earlier terrorists. In order to reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, in regards to their threats, strategies and tactics, when dealing with the internet, a complete understanding of the nature of America’s enemies is necessary. But still, will the world ever be free of terrorism?
Many analysts, researchers, and professors have tried to define the purpose of terrorism. Some believe that can only be achieved when we know how the mind of a terrorist works. The Encyclopedia Britannica describes terrorism as, “The systematic use of violence or threat of violence by organized groups to achieve specific goals. Terrorist activities may be directed against individuals, organizations or governments. Terrorism is employed by radical groups to obtain concessions from established governments, such as a change in policies unfavorable to them or the release of imprisoned members of their organizations…” (Encyclopedia Britannica. “Terrorism” 1987 T-169)
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).
Terrorists are very scary. There are some who want you to feel as if constant attacks against us are raising the death toll every day and clearly we must act now to save ourselves. Outside of a small minority of people the truth is that other than emotionally few of us has been directly affected.
In Module one, I learned that terrorism is a result of physical harm or deadly acts of force with the intent of a political outcome by the use of terror for coercion. There are various types of terrorism such as international terrorism and domestic terrorism. International terrorism occurs outside of the United States with a purpose to influence the policy of a government by intimidation. International and Domestic terrorism both involve violent acts dangerous to human life that violate federal and state laws. Domestic terrorism occurs within the United States with the intention of coercion or intimidation by way of mass destruction, etc. Some forms of terrorism include Improvised explosive devices (IED), kidnappings, suicide bombings and
Terrorism is used around the world to create fear and influence the public on political views (Siegel, 489). There are four views of terrorism including the psychological view, socialization view, ideological view, and the alienation view. A religious terrorist would most likely fit under the ideological view. In this view the terrorist feels the need to change a wrong opinion and believes that, because they are sacrificing themselves for something they believe so strongly in, it justifies the damage and harm done to innocent people (Siegel, 490). They use terror to create fear in anyone who opposes them and attract followers to their religion. In short, terrorism is widely used for political reasons but religion has been linked to the violence as well.
For terrorist organizations, their motivation almost always aligns with a disagreement between the terrorist group and a government. Terrorist groups attempt to weaken and humiliate governments, produce widespread fear amongst a civilian population with the threat of killing them by some sort of attack. The other part of their overall goal is to disrupt the daily lives of those civilians, ensuring they live in this type of fear.
The word terror dates back to the French Revolution. “A terrorist was, in its original meaning, a Jacobin who ruled France during la Terruer” (Moeller 20). Terrorism has clearly become much broader in the years since its origination. Since the concept was first birthed in France it has been used for separatist, nationalistic, political and religious ends, etc. In the book “Packaging Terrorism”, author Susan Moeller states that, “the goal of terrorism is to send a message, not to defeat the enemy”.
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...
Seidenstat argues that security is a relative thing and that no set of policies or measures can eliminate all terrorist acts (Seidenstat 2009 ,4). Terrorists will stop at nothing to foil our defenses. They are very patient and creative in planning their attacks. Terrorists will continue to invent ways to defeat our security measures while we are busy with our lives and forgetting about the last attack. Sometimes they don’t need to do nothing but wait for us to let our guard down so they can easily slip passed security measures.
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,
In this world there are many different topics of controversy. With every controversial topic comes different views and arguments explaining why people believe what they do. There are problems that can be just within one country or throughout the entire world. Terrorism affects everyone in the world, specifically us as Americans, which is why it is one of the biggest controversial topics. Of course with a topic as big as terrorism, there are emic and etic perspectives involved. With past history, there are specific countries and religions that we think of when we hear the word terrorism, specifically Afghanistan, located in the Middle East and the Muslim religion in that general area. Being part of the American
Terrorism has a tremendous impact on society. It is a rational act of violence and its purpose is to change behavior in a specific society. Terrorism is a political act that is meant to achieve a goal through the act of violence. The nature of terrorism is the nonselective targeting of individuals or a group in society with a goal. The intentions of