Domestic terrorism has played a major part in shaping the societies of the United States. The ideologies of individuals can become radicalized. This can lead to a movement. This movement involves the infliction of fear upon the communities, in attempt to make it a better world. It is critical to examine the events created by one man’s extreme ideologies in effort to better understand.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines domestic terrorism as terrorism involving groups based in, and operating entirely within, the United States and its territories, without foreign control. The FBI further divides domestic terrorism into three basic categories: right-wing, left-wing, and special-interest terrorism. Terrorist groups in the United States had begun with the foundation of the Ku Klux Klan in 1866. White racist actions remain major contributors to terrorism, b...
The United States, like any large nation, experiences its fair share of domestic terrorism. Domestic terrorism comes in two forms, within the United States, secular terrorism and religious terrorism. The broader category of terrorism, of which secular and religious terrorism fall under, is defined as a violent act committed against defenseless civilians in order to incite change. The distinctive difference between secular and religious terrorism is the motivation to commit the act. Secular terrorist are motivated by ideology, that is separate from religion, and Religious terrorist are motivated by an interpretation of their religion. Because of these terrorist acts the United States is forced to take action, in order to prevent terrorist acts,
The rate at which terrorist attacks occur is at an all-time high and continues to grow. In a report released to NBC News, the U.S. State Department displayed that there was a 35 percent increase in terrorist attacks that had taken place in the 2013-2014 time span (Williams). Ever since the 9/11 attacks in the United States, increased suspicion; aggressive foreign policy; and, ultimately, increased radical thinking has shadowed the world. As a result, governments, the United States specifically, have no choice but to take action in preventing such destructive attacks from occurring. Governments have engaged in counterterrorism strategies in order to proceed in defeating extremist violence. Together with the use of authoritative military
The terrifying event that occurred on September 11, 2001 is an example of what the world had been warned about many times, “TERRORISM”. In 1998, for example, the U.S. government told American citizens that they were potential targets for a terrorist group joined by the now infamous Osama bin Laden (Eland, 1998). However, many did not think any terrorist would be capable of the tragedy that leveled the World Trade Center and took many thousands of human lives. Americans thought they could not be touched, especially on their own turf.
Homeland security was developed by the United States government to protect the country from external aggression, reduce the likelihood of terrorist attacks and manage the damage that occurs in case of attacks. To this end, the government set up and reconstituted numerous agencies to aid in the fight against terrorism in the United States. The United States Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security constitute the most prominent departments under the United States law to champion the fight against any attacks by extremist groups. Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the United States’ military also have a role to play in homeland security. With the increasing cases of attacks and acts of aggression towards the United States, the government sought to strengthen the resolve to curb any attacks aimed at killing or maiming the citizens or destruction of government institutions and installations. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, it was apparent that stringent measures were needed to prevent attacks on American soil and protect the citizens of the country. This paper examines the duties; responsibility and intelligence methods used by the military, federal, State and local law enforcement agencies, as well as homeland security agencies in the fight against terrorism, with the aim of drawing similarities and differences.
After September 11, 2001, terrorism took center stage in the debate among security studies, international relations, and foreign policy specialists over a grand strategy for the US in the post-cold war era. The characteristics of international terrorism emphasize the fact that counterterrorism will require strenuous efforts. In contrast to warfare and public order problems, governments engaged in the battle against terrorism have to deal with opponents who do not observe any rule or convention. Terrorists wage an asymmetrical war. They do not attack state organizations but society and particularly innocent citizens. Contrary to groups that put public order to the test, they avoid confrontation with the national institutions responsible for maintaining law and order. The United States of America is committed to emerging victorious in the war against terrorism. This commitment has been demonstrated through funding, the federal government has dedicated a lot of money to fighting terrorism; this money has been channeled through the Department of Homeland Security to advance the war against terrorism (Memon, 2009).
Beginning in the 1980’s all the way up to present day the FBI has increasingly focused its attention on acts of terrorism. In the middle and late 1980’s, several acts of terrorism were committed against Americans overseas. Terrorism remained in the spotlight during the 90’s in response to numerous incidents, such as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York City and the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal B...
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.
Hoffman, B. (1998). Inside Terrorism. The New York Times, p. 32. Retrieved January 17, 2011, from http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/h/hoffman-terrorism.html