What is terrorism, and what constitutes an act of terror? Certainly, the history of terrorism is as old as war itself. Some might say that the strategy of causing fear in the enemy, to make him overestimate your forces while simultaneously doubting his own, make up the very essence of warfare. But mention the word “terrorism” to somebody, and chances are that the first thing that comes to mind is a mental image: The Oklahoma City bombing, dead Marines in Beirut, the Unabomber, or Lockerbie. The events of September 11, which have become synonymous with the idea of terrorism in America, would certainly be at the top of that list. But even these events, which best illustrate the phenomenon for us, fail to define it. This is because of the different circumstances behind each occurrence. The sum cannot simply be broken down into its antecedents. So how do we define a term as broad as terrorism? Before you can destroy your enemy, you must understand your enemy. Keeping this in mind, we’ll look at the many different classifications that terrorism can be separated into, before moving into tactics and mentality.
The different types of terrorism are as varied as the individual terrorist’s motives and desires. The difference between international and domestic terrorism is probably the most noticeable split. To put it simply, international terrorism is an attack by foreign agents on another country or its interests, and domestic terrorism is an attack upon a country by its own citizens. Also important to take into consideration is whether the terrorist is acting as part of a larger group or cell, or whether he is a “lone-wolf” and is acting with no outside aid. The general idea of a terrorist ring is best represented by organizations lik...
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...ernet. The internet allows the terrorist to spread propaganda and video, recruit potential new members, and communicate with other terrorists the world over. This is why terror tactics have become so prominent. He knows that a savage attack, especially on a civilian target, guarantees him front-page news coverage. This is how these groups incubate fear in the general public, who will then begin to demand that their leaders take action, up to and including a complete pull-out. By this same token, the best way to tackle this extra-national threat is with information. This is why a good counter-insurgency strategy is the best method for defeating terrorists. Win the hearts and minds of the local people for yourself, and you will strip the support of the enemy camp. Defeat the terrorist by defeating his ideology. Making the proper classification is just the first step.
The FBI defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof in furtherance of political or social objectives (fbi.gov).” By this definition, terrorism can be classified as internal or international based on the overall intent of the attack. Terrorism has been around since the beginning of time, but it’s only since 2011 that the world has come to fully understand the meaning of terrorism. The following paragraphs will highlight four different types of terrorist attacks that all took place within the United States spanning over a 40 year time period.
A tactic that underpins terrorist group's success is to blend in with the local populace. Terrorists wear no distinguishable uniforms. Use false identities. Hide from view inside protected sanctuaries such as mosques. As stated by a leading researcher and scholar on internet use by terrorists, “With over 1.4 billion persons on the internet… it is not surprising to find terrorists among that population” (Denning 2010, 1). Terrorist groups use the internet and other modern technologies for various reasons. By means as video, text and images terrorists will for example, learn, communicate and conduct business (Denning 2010, 1-2). Malign actors use cell phones, the internet and video recorders for a wide range of activities to train, issue propaganda and to conduct reconnaissance among other purposes according to a recent Rand study. (Don et al., 2007, 9).
Over the past century, terrorism has advanced from random killings to enormous plans for terrorist groups. To understand terrorism, you must first define it. Terrorism as we all know it is hard to define and understand, and has many different definitions as it is used widely. The word "terrorism" stems from the word "terror", which means to instill fear in. People become terrorists when they take the actions towards instilling fear and terror upon people to prove a certain point or agenda.
Within the world today, there are many organizations with varying opinions about specific ideals. But some of the organizations will take things to the extreme, and will do almost anything to prove that their view is the right one. This extreme act to further an objective is known as terrorism, but what exactly is a formal definition of terrorism? Frank Schmalleger defines it as “[a] violent act or an act dangerous to human life, in violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state, that is committed to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives” (Criminal Justice Today, 2013 p.560). The American way of life and other aspects such as policy and the criminal justice system have been impacted by terrorism in many ways over the course of the twenty first century.
The topic of my paper is types of terrorism. There are several types of terrorism for which to choose for my paper, state, dissident, religious, left-wing v. right-wing, and international. In this paper I have chosen state terrorism, religious terrorism, and international terrorism as the types of terrorism that I am going to discuss. I will discuss what they are in my own words and give examples of two different groups for each type that represent that type of terrorism. Then I will compare and contrast the three types of terrorism that I chose.
There are many differing definitions of terrorism. What is terrorism? How do we define it? Why is one man’s terrorist another man’s freedom fighter? These are just a few of the questions that face the world on a daily basis. There are many challenges that face the international community when it comes to how to define terrorism and what it constitutes. This paper will explore the challenges facing scholars when it comes to labeling terror and discuss potential ways to properly define it.
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
Directions: Answer the following questions in paragraph responses. Please submit your quizzes on turnitin.com by Monday, May 1st. You may use class notes and information from your project to answer the questions.
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.
The definition of political violence is ‘violence [that is] outside of state control that is political motivated’ (O’Neil 2011, par. 1). One way to study political violence is to interpret the way a group participates in collective action to solve political dilemmas, and why groups choose violence as a means to achieve their political goals. As P. Schmid Alex wrote, “conflict itself is not illegitimate but part of the human existence and can be a positive mechanism of social and political change” (Schmid 2004, 199). Another aspect of violence that is commonly debated and discussed within the political arena is terrorism. Specifically, how state actors and policy-makers distinguish terrorism from other forms of political violence.
The concept of terrorism is exceedingly difficult to define. Author Gerald Seymour first said in his book Harry’s Game that, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”. Each individual may view terrorism in a different light. Because of this, there is currently no universal definition of terrorism. However, in recent years, it has become increasingly more important to form a definition of terrorism, especially while working in the media.
National terrorism has been the focus of attention since September 11. But now domestic terrorism is becoming increasingly common among hate groups across the nation. Domestic terrorism can be defined as visible crime, or “street crime.” These acts would consist of violent crimes, (acts against people in which injury or death results) property crimes (acts that threaten property held by individuals or the state) and public order crimes. (acts that threaten the general well-being of society and challenger accepted moral principles) It can also however be described as political crime, (criminal acts by or against the government for ideological purposes) which would include the 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombing.
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...
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...
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,