Definitions and examples Terrorism Definitions and examples

What is terrorism? Take a couple minutes with the person next to you and come up with a definition and put in the first box In the second box, write down all the terms you heard from others that might improve or change your definition Terrorism: Unlawful use of force against persons or property to coerce government or society to further a political objective (from the FBI)

Why use terrorism? Synthesis of war and theater Two main objectives 1. Instill fear intimidation 2. Send a message

Acts of Terrorism Bombings Kidnappings Hijackings Assassinations Mass murder Weapons of mass destruction Often highly planned, but most effective when terror seems random

Cycle of violence 2. Oppressed use terrorism to gain power Hard to break Real or imagined oppression 1. Elite won’t give up power 2. Oppressed use terrorism to gain power 3. Elite/oppressors strike back harder Makes oppression real 4. Oppressed may gain help and sympathy from outside groups to help cause/fight back

Types of actions 1. Dynastic Assassinations Take out countries leadership to create chaos and instability

Random act of violence to cause greatest fear in public 2. Random Terror Random act of violence to cause greatest fear in public Non-discriminatory Any place, any time

Go to where the oppressor may be Attack symbol of the oppressor 3. Random Focused Terror Go to where the oppressor may be Attack symbol of the oppressor Mumbai, Bali Mumbai news clip

4. Focused Terror Attack oppressor in their place of power Ft. Dix (2 times), Pentagon

5. Mass Terror State sanctioned terror against its own citizens for political purposes

Terrorist as Actors 1. Fundamentalists Desire to go back to a time when things were perfect/better (possibly never existed) Ku Klux Klan -return to pre-Civil War, white power, started as Southern then grew, modern world is not good so need a scapegoat=blacks, immigrants Al-Qaeda –go back to pre-Israel Sunni Muslim “state” Strictly follow sharia law (religious law) Often mix religion with their ideology

Against authority b/c all government limits freedom 2. Anarchists Against authority b/c all government limits freedom Political anarchy: strike out against government Women as likely as men to be anarchists b/c of problems with the moral/social order Ted Kaczynsky (Unabomber): oppressors of freedom as targets mainly corporate, educational, and governmental Colombine shooters: Against social order School rules and implicit peer rules/order

Basque region, Spain: ETA militant separatists who want out of Spain One group of people want to separate from current country/government b/c they are oppressed Oppressed keep attacking until they separate Northern Ireland (still pat of UK) Irish Republican Army have attacked the British for decades Palestine: PLO wants out of Israel (fundamentalist and separatist) Basque region, Spain: ETA militant separatists who want out of Spain

Terrorists before communists 4. Marxist Want to end exploitation Gender, race, ethnicity Want equality Use Marxist ideology; masses are too easily exploited; must help them Lenin Mao Castro Terrorists before communists

5. State Sponsored Terrorism Use Terrorists groups to carry out political objectives Too dangerous to do on own Pakistan: Kashmir area, assisted al-Qaeda and Taliban USSR: sponsored communist revolutions around the world USA: aided the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan Too many other examples

6. State Terrorism Government uses terror against own people Nazis: Holocaust Pol Pot: Khmer Rouge 1.5 M Cambodians died of starvation, execution, disease, and overwork Stalin: Purge USSR of anti-Communists French Rev: Jacobins- “Reign of Terror”