Terrorism
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==Domestic terrorism in the USA== | ==Domestic terrorism in the USA== | ||
Revision as of 04:39, 18 April 2010
Terrorism, in popular meaning, is the military strategy of threatening civilian populations and property, often in guerilla warfare, in order to force some change from their government.
The difference between a "terrorist" and a "freedom fighter" is which side you are on.
A strict definition is almost impossible, as everyone uses the term slightly differently. However, a common set of criteria used in international relations is:
- Violence[1]
- Non-state or covert actions[2]
- Targets civilians.[3]
- Clandestine[4]
- Political agenda.[5]
Contents |
Notable terrorist groups
- Al-Qaeda
- The traitors to Britain — being a terrorist is A-OK. As long as you're white, male, and wealthy.
- The Baader-Meinhof Gang
- The British Army
- The Cuban revolutionaries
- The George W. Bush administration
- Hamas
- The Irish Republican Army
- Timothy McVeigh, and other angry white American males
- The Viet Cong ("victor charlie")
- The Cabal
- ETA
- Weather underground
Domestic terrorism in the USA
Liberals and humanists in the US have begun to adapt the phrase "domestic terrorism" when addressing attacks motivated by hatred of one group for a specific trait. Laws that limit acts which are generally categorized as "hate crimes" by so-called "hate groups" can be more easily understood in the context of "terrorism" than "hate".
Legal experts legitimately ask, "how can you legislate hate?" Perhaps we cannot. But advocates of the term "domestic terrorism" would say that the goal of the terrorists (be they KKK members, people who shoot ob-gyns who perform abortions, or someone killing a gay man just for being gay) is not acting out hatred, but causing the entire community who share that trait to be afraid to go on with their daily lives - the attempt to control a class of people through fear of violence.
There is an interesting discussion of domestic terrorism and its roots here.
How terrorist groups end
In 2008 the RAND Corporation released a study that examined terrorist activities, looking specifically at how they are ultimately destroyed or self-destruct. Their report suggested that any US policy truly grounded in the idea of ending terrorism and not just "playing politics" should focus on measures to either destroy adherents reasons for being in terrorist groups or provide better options for adherents to address their grievances. Specifically, the study found that membership in terrorist cells and organizations declined for the following reasons:
- 43% of membership loss happened when members converted to mainstream political/religious movements.
- 40% of the decline happened because of law enforcement activities and apprehension
- 10% of membership left because the group achieved their stated or perceived goals.
- 7% by being neutralized through military action.
Under Bush, virtually all US resources were directed at the single least effective method of ending terrorism: Military action.
The study also noted that, with regard to religion: Strong religious convictions make any terrorist group harder to break up; the religious convictions are actually more likely to be realized (and this, RAND states, is a good in for peaceful, non-military intervention); and perhaps most obvious, rich countries are less likely to have religiously motivated terrorism.
RAND's conclusion is that police work and intelligence gathering, in conjunction with a disciplined and straightforward commitment to realizing and resolving a terrorist group's grievances, are not only far more likely to be successful, but are actually significantly less expensive than military action. [6]
Alternate meanings
“”Anyone who uses threats, or the illusion of threats, or actual damage, to coerce some reaction or action from others, is a terrorist. Wouldn't that include made-up threats to websites? Or actual ones, to cause confusion and disruption? I won't argue something that is stupid as someone defending such anti-intellectual actions.
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| —TK, 22:58, 24 May 2007 (CDT)[7] |
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ no matter what China says, the President of Taiwan is not a terrorist for saying that Taiwan is an independent country.
- ↑ If a military does it, it's a war crime, not terrorism. However, this is usually considered the most debatable of the criteria.
- ↑ If it targets a military, it's guerrilla warfare, not terrorism. Yes, that includes the attack on the USS Cole.
- ↑ If it's announced, it's not terrorism. Probably a useless criterion, but it's there.
- ↑ If someone shoots up a McDonald's to send a message to the US, it's terrorism. If they do so because their dog told them to, they're a mass murderer. And insane, too, but that goes without saying.
- ↑ RAND report
- ↑ TK, again, and as always...