¶ … Terrorism
Define and discuss terrorism. Who chooses to participate in a terrorist campaign, and why? Evaluate such mitigating factors as politics, nationalism, and religion.
'Failed states' are defined as states that can no "longer perform basic functions such as education, security, or governance, usually due to fractious violence or extreme poverty" (Failed states, 2012, Global Policy). This has potentially disastrous consequences not simply for the residents of the state itself but for all nation-states. "Within this power vacuum, people fall victim to competing factions and crime" such as terrorism (Failed states, 2012, Global Policy). The beliefs of terrorists can be linked in some instances to the mentality spawned by a failed state -- that personal accomplishments are meaningless and the only hope can be found in the hereafter.
I would define terrorism as violent actions outside of the context of the conventional rules of war that specifically target civilians or defenseless persons as a way of instilling fear in the hearts of a populace. The purpose of terrorism is literally to create terror and horror not to achieve a strategic objective. Amongst the common characteristics of terrorists, these include a feeling of anger, alienation, and disenfranchisement; a belief that "their current political involvement does not give them the power to effect real change;" and a belief in the legitimacy of violence in defending a just cause (DeAngelis 2009). Although it is often assumed that politically and economically disempowered persons are primarily attracted to terrorism that is not always the case: terrorists have been drawn in many instances from highly educated classes or people with 'legitimate' and stable jobs as was the case with the leadership of Al-Qaida. Political scientists have called terrorism "the warfare of the weak -- the means by which groups that lack material or political power fight what they see as oppressive forces" but that hardly explains all terrorist motivations (DeAngelis 2009).
Another explanation for terrorism is a fear of cultural (and perhaps subliminally personal) annihilation combined with a strong sense of group as opposed to personal identity. "Surveys of thousands of people in 15 Arab and other countries found that Muslims who have a more collectivistic mentality are more likely to support terrorist attacks against Americans than those with more individualistic leanings… Being part of a collectivist cause has always been a hallmark of people willing to undergo personal sacrifices" (DeAngelis 2009). While this collective impetus can have positive aspects, it can also be profoundly negative when channeled towards violent ends.
Works Cited
DeAngelis, T. (2009). Understanding terrorism. APA, 50 (10): 60. Retrieved from:
http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/11/terrorism.aspx
Failed states. (2012). Global Policy. Retrieved from:
http://www.globalpolicy.org/nations-a-states/failed-states.html
Has terrorism changed over time, or has it remained largely the same? How do terror campaigns end?
Terrorism is a crime that has existed since time immemorial, long before the creation of airplanes, much less the Internet. Early famous examples of terrorism include the Catholic Guy Fawkes plot to blow up the Parliament of the Protestant King of England and the assassination of the Archduke that precipitated World War I. Thus, bombings and assassinations have long been common tools of terrorists. However, many analysts believe that the way in which terrorism is used has fundamentally shifted and changed over time since the period of post-World War II decolonialism. "Primarily in use immediately after the war as a subordinate element of anti-colonial insurgencies, it [terrorism] expanded beyond that role. In the service of various ideologies and aspirations, terrorism sometimes supplanted other forms of conflict completely. It also became a far-reaching weapon capable of effects no less global than the intercontinental bomber or missile. It has also proven to be a significant tool of diplomacy and international power for states inclined to use it" (Evolution of terrorism, 2014, Terrorism Research). Terrorism was once used for highly specific purposes (such as to expel the French from Algiers or as a mechanism of outrage by Arab terrorists, angered at what they saw as the betrayal of them by the British via the creation of the state of Israel) but now is more often used to enforce a kind of amorphous perceived group interest and a vague expression of religiosity amongst non-state actors. However, many states like Iran still channel that outrage and use terrorism to advance their purposes by harboring and supporting sympathetic terrorists.
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