...Defining terrorism is a very difficult task to do. It is so difficult to define that even the U.S. government cannot agree on one single definition “No one definition of terrorism has gained universal acceptance “(State Department, 2000). According to the National Institute of Justice “The search of a universal, precise definition of terrorism has been challenging for researches and practitioners alike” (GOV, 2013). Richard Betts, Director of the Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University states “There has never been any consensus definition of terrorism” (Libaw, 2012). Brian Jenkins states that “the problem with defining terrorism is compounded by the fact that terrorism has recently become a fad word used promiscuously and often applied to a variety of acts of violence which are not strictly terrorism by definition” (Jenkins, 1980, p. 1). Bruce Hoffman, in his Inside Terrorism, states: “We may define terrorism as the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear through violence or the threat of violence in the pursuit of political change. It is meant to instill fear within, and thereby intimidate, a wider ‘target audience.” (Hoffman, 2006). Several U.S. governmental agencies use different definitions of terrorism for example the U.S. Department of Defense (1990) defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of, or threatened use, of force or violence against individuals or property to coerce and intimidate governments or societies, often to achieve political,...
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...Assignment 1: Difficulties of Defining Terrorism Name University Professor CRJ 440, Terrorism and Antiterrorism Assignment 1: Difficulties of Defining Terrorism Today’s world is one where states are increasingly subject to the consequences of globalization, and because of this national security has become a key topic of every roundtable. There’s been no such international phenomenon that has demonstrated such evolve and garnered as much attention as the growth of terrorism. The truth is terrorism has existed throughout time; subsequently, the events of 9/11 propelled the United States into what has become labeled the War on Terrorism. With this, governments worldwide were required to implement protective policies against such attacks or in some cases take military action. With such policies, the development of counter-terrorist strategies require a definition of what terrorism is. According to Clarke (2009), the difficulty in assigning a truly comprehensive definition to terrorism lies in the fact that, not only is it challenging to be specific when motives, targets and methods differ so broadly from case-to-case, but the complexity of untangling the overlaps within each of these categories makes the task virtually impossible. Terrorism as defined by FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) classifies terrorism in three branches: international terrorism, domestic terrorism, and federal crime of terrorism. As referenced in Chapter 113B of the Code 18...
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...Joan Didion: What is Home? In Joan Didion’s essay “On Going Home” she writes about leading a double life. She feels like one person when she’s with her husband and daughter in Los Angeles, and a completely different person when back “home” surrounded by her childhood family in the Central Valley of California. During this particular trip, she begins to reflect on her life in Los Angeles. Didion contemplates the fact that she often feels uneasy around her husband, just like he feels uneasy being around her family. At a crossroad, she must decide not only who she is, and the life she wants, but also the kind of life she wants for her daughter. Her life in Los Angeles has cleansed her from her youth—one that was dusty and full of useless trinkets. She ponders the time her husband wrote the word “D-U-S-T” on those useless trinkets and she remembers her feelings of sadness and indignation. She says, “We live in dusty houses…filled with mementos quite without value to him” (139-40). The dust-covered trinkets signify what is important to her, or what needs to be addressed in her marriage. Yet, these objects just lay there waiting for someone to see them—for someone to dust them off and care for them—not unlike how Didion wishes her husband would see her and nurture her in their marriage. Didion wonders which of her two homes is normal or if they are both flawed. When she and her husband are with her family, he becomes apprehensive about her behavior, “…because once there I fall...
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...Sarah Tunnell’s thesis “Recruiting, Motivating, and Retaining Youthful Participants in Terrorism: A Preliminary Analysis,” attempts to illustrate how terrorist organizations recruit young participants. Overall, the thesis is extremely well written and thoroughly researched, yet, without a clear understanding of Tunnell’s interpretation of youth the thesis lacks a substantial argument. Multiple interpretations of youth are presented in the piece but always as other authors understanding of the term. Tunnell never explicitly provides a definition of youth, hence, the conclusion is shaky at best. Foremost, Tunnell starts the thesis with an introduction to terrorism. By highlighting the differing opinions of academics about what does and does not constitute terrorism, Tunnell provides a concise and supported definition for terrorism. Starting the thesis with the definition of terrorism is an important part of creating a clear, concise argument. However, as the Defining Terrorism chapter progresses the argument and organization become muddled. As stated in the Introduction chapter, “this work seeks to examine a potential trend in the age of individual recruits; in particular, whether youthful...
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...What is Terrorism? – Defining Terrorism Defining terrorism is not an easy task. As the lesson explains, there are many individual definitions to the term terrorist or terrorism. Phillip Cryan (2001) determined in his research that the word terrorism has increased in popularity since the World Trade Center attacks. He also states that other foreign countries are depending on the United States to fight their battles by labelling their attackers as “terrorist”. This is something that I felt to be very interesting. Upon using the class reference and several articles and journals found online, I have found various complexities in defining the act and very word of “terrorism”. I initially researched the purpose of terrorism. In order to understand what terrorism is, you must also look at why it is done. The legal definition used in the “Defining Terrorism” article by Phillip Cryan says that goals of the act of terrorism is simply “seeking international consensus” (Cryan, 2001). This means that in order to be considered a terrorist or to commit a terrorist act, you have to have a global audience. The terrorist group has to have some kind of global appeal in order to commit an act in the first place. There has to be an issue at hand or a cause that a mass of people can be sympathetic to or enraged by. Either way it accomplishes the goal of attention for the act of terrorism. The Department of Defense’s definition is “the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence...
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...The rising and enlargement of ISIS is a serious threat, not only to the international environment, but also to the US national homeland. This issue will remain untreated if there is no serious action being taken domestically and abroad. To prevent future ISIS terrorism activities on US soil, few actions to deal with this issue must be taken into consideration, such as the need to define ISIS, reorganization of the Counter Terrorism Bureau, and the coordination of intelligence for the Syrian refugee management crisis. The White House has not done a great job in defining ISIS . Thus, there are no clear goals in dealing with them. Clear goal is needed to produce efficient tasks . For example, the goal could be “defeating” ISIS, which in this case is a vague mission. A vague mission is going to provide constraints in managing governmental agencies. It is more difficult to answer the next question, which is how to “defeat” ISIS because the White House does not have a clear definition of what ISIS really does . Thus, in defining ISIS, a committee should be established. This committee should consist of people who are familiar with the culture...
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...Abstract Global terrorism would appear to be the curse of our modern society. Turn on any television and world news will be reporting on an act of terror or its consequences. Prime examples of this include the destruction of the World Trade Centre, the bombing of the Underground system in London, the Mumbai nightclub bombings to name but a few of the more prominent events over the last decade. These acts have crystallized the focus of public attention to ensure that the topic of terrorism will remain high on the global political agenda for many years to come. However, terrorism is not a new phenomenon. On a global scale, terrorism has been alive and well for many decades. What has changed is the emergence of the global financial market and the modus operendi of the modern day terrorist groups. A terrorist act of sinking a crude oil carrier in the Straits of Hormuz for example, could have a direct impact on the price of crude oil and petroleum on the world market, to say nothing of shipping carrier prices and maritime insurance. Like ripples in a pond, the act would have far reaching consequences. Quantifying terrorism has now become an important tool both for the financial sectors 9who use it predominantly for insurance based risk analysis and also for government bodies who could use it for spotting emerging trends in terrorism and therefore investing in anti and counter terror procedures. So why might it be difficult to quantify terrorism? This paper attempts to answer...
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...Gérard Chaliand. The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to Al Qaeda. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2007. Change plus vite, hélas! que le coeur d'un mortel. The form of a town changes more swiftly alas! Than the heart of a mortal. Charles Baudelaire, Le Cygne (The Swan) In The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to Al Qaeda, edited by Gérard Chaliand and Arnaud Blin, readers will find an excellent compilation of essays regarding the history of terrorism. Beginning with the earliest recorded manifestations of terrorism to the present day, the editors provide not only detailed accounts of terrorism through the ages, but valuable historical context that helps the reader understand the complexities of the terrorism we face today. Overall, the purpose of this book is to show that terrorism is used for political purposes, that it is psychological in nature, and that this has been the case throughout history. The editors organize this collection of essays into a roughly chronological order that provides continuity to the argument that terrorism has evolved throughout history, while maintaining signature characteristics that distinguish it from other types of warfare. Beginning with the Zealots and Assassins of pre-medieval history, readers will soon begin to make connections between the various eras of terrorism. Additionally, this chronological arrangement lends itself to understanding that from its earliest stages, terrorism has always been a tactic that...
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...Michael Butts SOS-440 Terrorism and Media Recent history, specifically the past decade, has provided plenty of examples of the mutually beneficial relationship between terrorist organizations and the media. As some remarkable terrorist attacks in history indicate, whether it is in the United States (US), Europe, or the Middle East, it is by and large the case that the architects of terrorism exploit the media for the benefit of their operational efficiency, information gathering, recruitment, fund raising, and propaganda schemes (Nacos 2006). In the words of Nacos (2002), whether it is the relatively inconsequential arson by an amateurish environmental group or mass destruction by a network of terrorists, the perpetrators’ media-related goals are the same: attention, recognition, and perhaps even a degree of respectability and legitimacy in their various publics (Nacos 2002). Media, in return, receives the attention of the public that is vital for its existence and benefits from record sales and huge audiences. To put it briefly, just as terrorism has to be communicated to have effect, the media has to cover the incidents in such a way to benefit from the public’s eagerness to obtain information about terrorist attacks. It is, therefore, fair to argue that there is a mutually beneficial relationship between terrorism and today’s media. Indeed, the goals of terrorists are not solely confined to winning the attention of the masses. In addition to that, through the media, they...
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...terrorist organisations Submitted by: Vietnam Defining terrorism as the unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims Reaffirming the arms trade treaty (ATT) from the UN regulating arms trade from small arms to such things as battle tanks, Reminding nations that weapons have been traded with Hamas who publicly applaud death via terrorism, Alarmed by reports from Amnesty international saying that over 25 countries have traded weapons with ISIS by ‘lax’ control over arms trade, Concerned that components can be acquired from countries to potentially create weapons of mass destruction and heavy artillery Accepting that control of arms trade can be difficult to maintain and that it would take great consideration into member states making reforms on how it can be regulated, Deeply concerned that in January alone an estimated toll of two thousand, four hundred and sixty nine deaths occurred, Noting that from the government website from the UK a total of 225 countries have been noted to have low risk to high risk terrorist threats. Recalling, Acknowledging the United Nations programme of Action which was to limit small arms trade, Also acknowledging the United Nations international tracing instrument to make governments make clear markings on small arms and weaponry, 1. Calls upon all members of the United Nations to come together to correctly define ‘terrorism’ to make clear distinctions to countries who they...
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...Terrorism of America On September 11, 2001 life in America changed forever when terrorists crashed planes into the twin towers, pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. Since the occurrence of those events the word “terrorism” has been part of the common vocabulary in our day to day lives. The threat of terrorism has brought about many changes. It has created tighter security restrictions, increased intelligence gathering, and for some a sense of paranoia. It has also created a hatred towards those who seek to terrorize the United States. One must ask what is terrorism exactly and why does it happen? The word terrorism was first used in the late 18th century. In Geoffrey Nunberg’s essay “The War of Words: “Terror” and “Terrorism” he uses French Revolutionary Robespierre’s definition of terror as “nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible; it is therefore an emanation of virtue” (Nunberg 433). Terrorism was the action of a people who were working for and ideological cause. It was a means of bringing about change. Whether the action was positive or negative was determined by the group defining it. While those acting to bring...
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...The term terrorism invokes a wide range of concepts in that it also entails numerous definitions that are randomly applied given the type of terrorist attack, the intended target, and the overall goals of the terrorist group. This generalization also allows for the term terrorism to be associated with a number of political and civil rights movements that are inconsistent with the social norms or political goals of the government bodies. Such associations can frequently cause confusion between progression and terrorism. This is especially true in cases of domestic terrorism as these occurrences continue to rise and the media spins various connections between the actions and the message that the attacker is attempting to send or promote. This...
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...SECURITY RESEARCH PAPER A PERSPECTIVE ON TERRORISM Piers Hutt piershutt@hotmail.com 1 March 2015 A PERSPECTIVE ON TERRORISM ABSTRACT Purpose: To critically examine the threat of modern terrorism to Western society. Design/methodology: An assessment was made of publically available documentation. The paper is then divided into a number of sections. It initially deals with the difficulties of defining terrorism, followed by its symbiotic relationship with the media. The next section looks at the modern Islamic Fundamentalist threat and the primarily neocon response since 9/11. Whilst the US has withdrawn combat forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, a bipartisan approach has been maintained to counterterrorism. The dangers of such an approach are examined along with emerging threats. Table of Contents * Abstract * Introduction * Define * Role of the Media * Psychology * Modern Terrorism * The Response * Counterview – The Dangers * Looking Ahead – The Next Potential Threats * Another Approach * Conclusion INTRODUCTION “Terrorism has become part of our daily news diet. Hardly a day goes by without news of an assassination, political kidnapping, hijacking or bombing somewhere in the world. As such, incidents of terrorism have increased in the past decade, the phenomenon of terrorism has become one of increasing concern to governments....” Introduction. With the recent high profile terrorist attacks in Sydney...
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...Stephen Asher Although many groups, both state and non-state actors, have used terrorism as a tactic for hundreds of years, scholars differ in their opinions about the nature and consequences of terrorist attacks in recent years. Among other questions they ask: Did the terrorist attacks of 9/11 change the international system? Have non-state actors increased in relevance since the attacks. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 were an eye opening experience for many Americans. The amount of television coverage and visual trauma shown to the nation increased the brutality of the events. Religious and militant groups have used terrorism as a tactic for hundreds of years. The events on 9/11 were not an isolated event and instead a continuation of a long series of attempted attacks. The difference is that on this day the terrorist group achieved some amount of success relative to their ultimate goals. The attacks of 9/11 caused nearly 3000 people to lose their life. These deaths were directly caused by the attacks and an unknown amount of deaths have occurred indirectly as a result of the attacks. The attacks represented the deadliest terrorist attacks on record since 1970. The attacks were the first of its king, a successful hijacking of an airplane to destroy a building. One of the most horrific elements of terrorism is the use of children as combatants for the use of terrorist attacks. Estimates indicate that up to several hundred thousand children as young as 7 years old are...
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...How Terrorism Has Affected The United States Stephanie Boone Ryan Tarr University of Phoenix History 145 June 9, 2013 Terrorism is the act of intimidating persons using ways of violence as a way to look for attention but there has been a problem in defining, as there was a problem in differentiating terrorism with activities involved with violence and actions by the military. The phenomenon has become a major concern for the American public and was elevated by the Reagan administration to the foremost foreign policy problem of the nation and the public considers terrorism to be a greater threat than driving on the freeway or even nuclear war. America also continues to be relatively free of the threat of domestic terrorism through the help of draconian anti-terrorist measures that many states endure, also the wholesale cancellation of airplane travel plans and even terrorist acts. The fact that people are so gripped by terrorism may actually serve to reinforce it, as one of terrorism purposes is to rivet the public’s attention and we may unfortunately say that terrorism is actually working. Terror is a process involving three steps: one is seeking...
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