Terrorism 2
Terrorism 2In June 1914: A young man in Sarajevo steps up to a carriage and fires his
pistol. The Archduke Ferdinand dies. Within weeks, the first world war
began. In the 1940s: The French resistance kill occupying troops when and
how they can. In June 1944: at Oradour-sur-Glane, in Central France,
German SS troops take revenge, massacring 642 villagers. In August 1945:
the United States Air Force drops the world's first nuclear weapon. Some
190,000 Japanese die, nearly all of them civilians. Within days the second
world war has ended.
Which of these four events was an act of terrorism? Which achieved
anything? Which, if any, will history judge as justified? And in whose
history? Terrorism is not the simple, sharp-edged, bad-guy phenomenon we
all love to condemn. No clear line, marks off politics from the threat of
force, or the use, of covert or open war. Who is or is not a terrorist?
The suicide bomber, the rebel guerrilla, the liberation front, the armed
forces of the state?
Historical Background
Terrorism has had a long, and tainted, history. Aristotle recognized it,
even if it had no name, at the time. He wrote, "The first aim and end of
tyrants is to break the spirit of their subjects." What we know as
terrorism can be traced back to the Russian Nihilists and Anarchists of
the 19th century, who gave a name to what would otherwise be considered
"Random acts of violence" that were performed to advance their
revolutionary cause. They elevated terrorism to a high moral plane. One of
them, Mikhail Bakunin, exclaimed: "The passion for destruction is also a
creative passion."
British military analyst Brian Crozier wrote in his 1974 book, "Theory of
Conflict, that terrorists have several aims, falling into two categories.
Disruptive Terrorism and Coercive Terrorism
Through "Disruptive Terrorism," they try to:
� Gain publicity for their movement or arouse admiration.
� Secure funds and build up the movements, morale or prestige.
� Discredit and demoralize the authorities.
� Provoke the authorities.
� To take excessively harsh repressive measures desired to alienate
citizens and force a large
scale opposition to counter-terrorist measures.
"Coercive Terrorism, " is similar but complementary:
� It attempts to demoralize the civilian population weaken its confidence
in the government and instill fear of the revolutionary terrorists.
� By making examples of well publicized victims, they try to enforce
obedience into the people.
Analysis of the Problem
Until after World War II, most terrorists adhered to a set of rules for
moral behavior that excluded the killing, capture, or torture of civilians
who were not also government officials. In other words they respected the
rights of non-combatants as defined by various treaties that set the rules
for armed conflict (such as the Geneva and Hague Conventions). Since the
rise of terrorist groups and revolutionary guerrilla movements around the
world, such...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.