When the word “terrorism” is mentioned, one might think about weapons of mass destruction such as bombs and nuclear weapons. But that is not the case presently; terrorism now taken different forms. Terrorism could be observed on a small scale: bullying at school, or on a much larger scale: kidnappings and suicide bombings. Terrorism is defined as “the deliberate use of violence or threat of its use against innocent people with the aim of intimidating them” (Primoratz 129). Terrorism does not bring any positive aspects to society; it kills a person or his/her spirit and also bring great fear and worry to others. For these reasons, terrorism must be stopped before the population of the world declines, people become scared to leave their homes, and countries of the world are not able to make any progress.
According to the National Counterterrorism Center, about 79,466 people were killed as a result of worldwide terrorism. Victims of these terrorist acts are usually unlucky people at the wrong place at the wrong time. The 1998 United States embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya resulted in a lot of deaths to lives of innocent civilians. Most victims, civilians in the area at the time and workers in the embassy had no connection to the government of the United States (Fridell 13). This proves that most people who get killed in terrorist attacks do not deserve their lives cut short as they likely pose no sort of threat to the terrorists. These people are innocent citizens. Osama Bin Laden, former leader of Al Qaeda admitted that terrorists do kill innocent citizens: “We do not have to differentiate between military or civilian. As far as we are concerned, they are all targets” (Fridell 13). This shows that terrorists are just interes...
... middle of paper ...
...ec. 2013.
Fridell, Ron. Terrorism: Political Violence at Home and Abroad. New Jersey :
Enslow Publishers, Incorporated, 2001. 112. Print.
Gabriel, Mark. ISLAM and TERRORISM. Florida: Front Line, 2002. 33-41. Print.
Hartocollis, Anemona. “10 Years and a Diagnosis Later, 9/11 Demons Haunt Thousands.” New
York Times 09 August 2011, n. pag. Web. 8 Jan. 2014.
Jamieson, Alison. Terrorism. New York: Thomson Learning, 1995. Print.
National Counterterrorism Center: Annex of Statistical Information." U.S. Department of
State. U.S. Department of State, 31 July 2012. Web. 06 Jan. 2014.
Primoratz, Igor. “What Is Terrorism?.” Journal of Applied Philosophy 7.2 (1990) : 129–
138. Web Document.
"Post-traumatic Stress Disorder." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2014.
Stewart, Gail B. Understanding Issues: Terrorism. California: KidHaven Press, 2002. Print.
Terrorism has successfully been able to flourish due to the three main types of terrorism (Revolutionary, Religious and Separatist/Anti-colonist). By means of a bigger purpose, these various reasons for terrorism have created a bigger sense of fear for the public. Knowing what is happing, how it can be explained is a good way of assessing the issue of terrorism. It forms a coping organism for the government in regarding to creating prevention legislation. But unlike organized crime, terrorism has been proven to be difficult to control due to the foreign powers controlling it. It is a serious issue in America, and the World that America is a part
Terrorism is focused on a one-sided belief that dictates massive destruction of institutions, foundations and national symbols. It represents a philosophy, which does not comply with common sense. Terrorism acts are a matter of individual psychology, relentless ideology, religious commitment, or political passion. The most devastating terrorism attack in the United States was on September 11, 2001. Other U S attacks were the Manhattan attack in 1997, the Anthrax attack in 2001, a prior World Trade Center attack in 1993, the Wall Street Bombing attack in 1920, and the Kalama City bombing in 1995 (Askshintala, 2013). Terrorism attacks have also taken place in Israel, Greece, Chechnya a border between Russia and European countries and India (Askshintala, 2013). All of these attacks and other attacks that were not as devastating have become much of an international legal debate on terrorism. Terrorism should be criminalized under international law.
The threat of global terrorism continues to rise with the total number of deaths reaching 32,685 in 2015, which is an 80 percent increase from 2014 (Global Index). With this said, terrorism remains a growing, and violent phenomenon that has dominated global debates. However, ‘terrorism’ remains a highly contested term; there is no global agreement on exactly what constitutes a terror act. An even more contested concept is whether to broaden the scope of terrorism to include non-state and state actors.
As stated by Haddow, C., Bullock, J., Coppola, D.P., Terrorism is a global problem. From 1969 to 2009, over 38,000 terrorist attacks were reported worldwide. Three thousand, or 8 percent of these, targeted Americans or American interests both inside the United States and overseas, leading to the deaths of almost 5600 people and injuries to over 16,000 more (p. 309).
...rrorism of genocide. Although the definition of terrorism is hard to pinpoint, I have outlined a general working definition for the purposes of the essay. As outlined, the forms of terrorism are extreme and varied. It is hoped that one day other forms of mediation and political resources will be more widely used and accepted in problem-solving so that acts of terrorism can be prevented and avoided.
The U.S. Department of State defines terrorism as, “The calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological”. Whereas the Belgium Red Cross says that terrorism is committed “for the purpose of intimidating the population, forcing a third party to act or destablishing or destroying the fundamental structures of a country or of an international organization”.
This essay seeks to take on a discussion on the subject of terrorism, trying to note out the factors that drive and cause it. The structure will be such that thus; first given will be a background origination of the theory, and then a definition will be given. Following in the body the motivating factors will be discussed also giving light on the effects of terrorism and after the lengthy discussion the paper will reach a termination by outlining possible majors that can remedy the situation. This phenomenon has a historic background and it’s a sensitive issue in humanity today as it has the world combating it with all it has. Most people curse terrorism as an unnecessary evil but those in its support usually quote that one man’s terrorist is ones man’s hero or freedom fighter. Terrorism can be traced back to the 1800’s during the Napoleonic wars when there was great power suppression; it flows into the 1900’s when theories like globalization began to be prominent. During this period also there was the occurrence of World War 1 and fights broke out when states wanted to gain their independence, self determination. From the 1970’s to date and future the theory of terrorism has been encouraged by improvements in information technology, globalization and the US systematic leadership, patrol-client ties. Globalization making the world borderless has make combating this phenomenon difficult and more advanced technologies have gapped the distance between states.
With the rise of Islamic extremist groups, international terrorism has now become a worldwide social dilemma. The roots of this social problem include a variety of possibilities; however, most commonly terrorism is perceived as an issue triggered by the economic and political inefficiency of a country. In recent years this belief was particularly supported during presidency of George W. Bush and later reinforced by the “anti-Islamic” sentiment triggered by the events of September 11, 2001. Likewise Joseph Kahn and Tim Weiner, authors of World Leaders Rethinking Strategy on Aid to Poor, agreed with President Bush’s strategy of financially assisting the poor Middle Eastern nations to combat terrorism. In addition to poverty, transnational terrorism is also attributed to the political
Terrorism Definition: Shedding tears at the rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania 9/11 memorial while listening to the heart wrenching air phone calls from heroic passengers on Flight 93 to the answering machines of their loved ones, not only provides a deep emotional understanding of the tragedy of terrorism, but also provides renewed appreciation of the importance of international cooperation required to combat terrorism. Fundamental to creating and sustaining an international coalition to fight terrorism is an understanding of what constitutes terrorism (Ganor, 2002). The United Nations and other international organizations have struggled to develop an accepted definition of the term “terrorism” because one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter (Ganor, 2002).
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 has many forms, and many definitions. “Elements from the American definitional model define terrorism as a premeditated and unlawful act in which groups or agents of some principal engage in a threatened or actual use o...
The continuing successful and attempted terrorist attacks in the USA and the endless wars and conflicts in which we are involved are caused by the very same reasons experienced in the expansion of Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The economic, political, and cultural conditions present in each of these periods in history, although hundreds of years apart, are still very much alike. The same desires for money, relations between different countries, and differing religious views are what caused this tragedy and similar conflicts during the expansion of Europe. By examining these causes in the present as well as in the past, Americans might have a better understanding of the current situation and come up with some ways to prevent such a tragedy in future.
Terrorism is not necessarily a new phenomenon and it will never be removed from society. Terrorism has been defined as a application of violence or threatened violence intended to panic society, to weaken or overthrow incumbents, or to bring political change. There will continue to be minority or oppressed (or perceived oppressed) people or groups will continue to believe that terrorism is the only solution to their problems. (1) (2) (3)
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...
In 2016, a total of 11,072 terrorist attacks occurred worldwide, resulting in more than 25,600 total deaths and more than 33,800 people injured. Terrorism is the act of unlawful and unjust violence to intimidate or fill a population of people with fear, to pursue their goals that are religious, political, or ideological. Terrorism is a major issue in the world because innocent people are being affected. There are many different types of terrorist attacks that can be perpetrated. Because a terrorist attack is instantaneous, it is hard to be prepared and rush innocent citizenry somewhere safe. In addition, when a terrorist attack happens, people are alarmed, skeptical, and frighted. Terrorism damages the lives