Terrorism

Mr. Craddock

What is Terrorism

US: premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents

UN: intention to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act.

Terrorism or Acts of Violence or War

North Ossetia Lebanon Sri Lanka Pakistan India France Dagestan,Russia Burma New York Istanbul, Turkey Elazig Province,

Turkey

Texas Guinea Blacksburg Seattle Uzbekistan

Grozny, Russia

Kosovo Cote

d’Ivoire Yemen

Origins of Terrorism

The first time use of terrorism occurred during the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution

The first known use of the term terrorist was in 1869 by Sergey Nechayev, who wrote the "Catechism of a Revolutionary", a program for the "merciless destruction" of society and the state. - The main principle of the "Catechism" — "the ends justify the means"

Definition cont.

Terrorism generally can be confined to three concepts Violence Fear Intimidation

It is almost always targeted in the most public way against civilians in order to draw attention to the act

Number of Terrorism Incidents, 2000-2008

Types of Terrorism

Domestic – acts against one’s own country (Oklahoma City)

International – acts that transcend national boundaries (9/11)

Subnational – acts committed by nongovernmental groups (Chechnya)

State – acts committed by agents of the government (Syria)

Oklahoma City Bombing

Types of Terrorism cont.

Bioterrorism – intentional release of toxic biological agents for the intent of terrorism

Cyberterrorism – usually an attack on information technology to disrupt an organization

Ecoterrorism – attacking disruptors of the environment in order to protect the environment.

Terrorist Groups

Basque Fatherland and Liberty (Spain) Irish Republican Army (N. Ireland) HAMAS (Palestine) Hezbollah (Lebanon) Palestinian Liberation Front (Palestine) Sikh Terrorism (India)

Khalistan

Basque

Palestinian State

Al Qaeda

Established in 1989 by Osama bin Laden Is a fundamentalist organization seeking to

rid Muslim nations of Westernization and secularism and replace with Theocracies.

Operates out of individual cells instead of as a formal organization.

Major Terrorist Incidents

9/11 Munich Olympic Massacre (1972) Iran Hostage Crisis (1979-1981) Beirut Bombing (1983) Mumbai (2008) School Hostages in Russia (2004)

Reactions to Terrorist Attacks

Reducing or addressing the cause of terrorism (Basque Spain)

Increasing international cooperation in surveillance of subnational groups (Arab Gulf States)

Increasing security measures within the country (United States)

Using military means against terrorism (United States)