...Remember to clearly delineate quotations and paraphrasing through the use of quotation marks or other conventional methods. I. Based on the readings, the greatest deterrent in finding a universal definition of terrorism deals with each countries subjective views of legitimacy. The definition of terrorism seems to be culturally biased with some groups related the legitimacy of terrorism to the person who is carrying out the act and not the act itself. The interesting part is that the idea of moral is questionable to some countries. Prior to the attacks of 9/11, the major difference between the Us’s definition of terrorism was the absence of the term “weapons of mass destruction” which is now prvelant in our anti terror agenda. In the years following the attack on September 11 the idea of terrorism, primarily in the US, has been seen as based on a political agenda. I choose to look a the United States’ definition or terrorism as well as the Arab Convention for the Suppression of Terrorism’s definition of terrorism. In 1998, the Arab Convention for the Suppression of Terrorism was already addressing an issue that other countries in the world wouldn’t focus on heavily until the beginning of the War on Terrorism following 9/11. There definition does not specify a specific agenda or threat and focuses on the advancement of any criminal agenda. I found this particularly interesting being that the media puts so much emphasis on the political connection that...
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...Terrorism Terrorism has been in existence since the recording of history and manifests itself in different ways. Understanding terrorism has been a task that most agencies have never reached a conclusion. Quantifying terrorism comes in as a complicated philosophy. To start with, the problem quantification of terrorism begins with physiological anomalies where the disparity between gains and losses is considered. Questions of whether people are willing to pay to reduce terrorism arises. Similarly, terrorism as a phenomenon is international. Terrorists easily move from one country to another and therefore accounting for such a trend makes it difficult to quantify it. (The Struggle to Define Terrorism, n.d.) Defining terrorism is as difficult as quantifying it. The main reason comes from the misunderstanding among most anti-terrorism agencies on what should be included to get with terrorism acts. The difficulty in this is determining where there is legitimacy in the use of violence and where it is directed. Most beliefs are that terrorism is associated with the Islamic religion, and this has made it hard to define elements of terrorism. Terrorism stems out of misunderstandings and in search of justice, and that is where most agencies fail to understand. (The Struggle to Define Terrorism, n.d.) Various agencies define terrorism in different ways. The FBI outlines terrorism as the illegal use of force and violence against individuals or property to intimidate a governing body...
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...441 2-13-13 The multitude of differentiating definitions of terrorism through out the world’s governments, agencies, and international community has led to a confusing and bleak understanding of the true nature of terrorism. Now I do not believe that my definition of terrorism will be any better in helping understand this matter but it does help define my personal view of terrorism, terrorists, and their tactics. My definition of terrorism is any deliberate, planed use of force or violence, or the threat of such actions, against innocent people, with the aim of inducing fear or intimidating some other group of people into a specific course of action for political, religious, philosophical, or ideological aims. In my paper I want to examine the implications of my definition with regard to my assertion that terrorism is only carried out against innocent people. In my definition I define terrorism as actions or threats of actions against innocent people. To me this is a very important idea. I feel that terrorism works because it induces fear in the general public and people become afraid because they are faced with the fact that even though they have done nothing wrong they could be attacked. I feel that violence is never legitimate when used on innocent people and thus a terrorist is never legitimate because they are attacking innocent people and that can never be seen as a justified act. The idea that the victim of terrorism has to be innocent has many implications. I think...
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...There is no universal definition of terrorism but in what case does it really matters? Do we need a universal definition of terrorism? During the last two century, many definition of terrorism have been elaborated. As today there are several different kinds of terrorism and also different point of view on terrorism nobody can clearly understand what is terrorism. The description of terrorism varies between cultures. Moreover one of the current problems with the word terrorism is that it is easier to define this term by what it is not than define it by what it is. A Universal definition is needed, In order to clearly understand this notion. However, even scholars or governments are not agreeing on the fact that we need a universal definition of terrorism. According to Lutz, “what will be useful is to provide a working definition, as neutral as possible. What is also necessary is to read and evaluate with cares how others use the word. A clear and workable definition of terrorism should cover both groups that individuals agree with and group that they disagree with” . Sebastian Wojciechowski offers several...
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...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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...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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...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 U.S.C. § 2331, terrorism involves...
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...[Writing Assignment 1] Semester [Terrorism (SOS-440)] Thomas Riley Why has it been difficult to define the concept of terrorism? The concept of terrorism is not impossible to define. Many definitions of terrorism exists. What is difficult is developing a single universal definition that fits all acts and perpetrators. Terrorism comes in many forms (e.g., state, sponsored, domestic, ideological, and religious) and has just as many motivators (e.g., nationalism, religion, and political). Before delving further into my research, I believed that H.H.A Cooper defined it best in Terrorism: The Problem of Definition Revisited with Terrorism is the intentional generation of massive fear by human beings for the purpose of securing or maintaining control over other human beings. (Mahan & Griset, 2013, p. 5 and 18) However; with further reading I determined this definition is not specific enough for legal purposes and does not exclude certain legitimate acts of violence such as war. The legal ramifications are one milestone to hinder a single definition but what most likely affects the definition is which side you are standing on. The view point of the audience impacts whether the act is terrorism or is justified. After starting this course I had an interesting conversation with co-workers considering some past historical events and whether or not they could be considered acts of terrorism. I saw a similar topic of discussion in the group discussions. The event...
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...The purpose of the essay is to explore the morality of terrorism. It will not consider the morality of the person who perpetrates the act of terrorism but rather the morality of what is done and the methods used to do it. Is terrorism morally justifiable? The first difficulty is in arriving at a definition of terrorism itself. The United States Department of Defence defines terrorism as “The unlawful use of violence or threat of violence, often motivated by religious, political, or other ideological beliefs, to instill fear and coerce governments or societies in pursuit of goals that are usually political.” (DOD 2015). As is to be expected from a military organisation this definition is narrow and is not even used by other departments in the same government. The FBI’s definition of terrorism is actually divides terrorism into 2 parts - International and Domestic as follows "International terrorism" means activities with the following three characteristics: • Involve violent...
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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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...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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...In modern society, the term Terrorism, carries with it a nebulous connotation. The term, tainted by its perception, is inherently misconstrued and demonized. In public dialogue, it is immediately sensationalized by the media, hotly discussed by the people, quickly vilified by politicians, and overly generalized by the masses. Its mention and increasing global occurrence triggers an intense negatively charged emotional response that is forever associated with the 2015 November Paris Attacks, the London Bombings, 11 September Attacks, the “War on Terror,” Jihadists, and numerous stereotypes and mischaracterizations. Yet, nowhere in the discussion is the rhetoric being examined. Nowhere in the discourse do questions arise about the roots and branches...
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...– CASE ASSIGNMENT Question 1: Global definitions of terrorism are presented in the background reading. Provide a critique of these definitions. What would you propose as a global definition of terrorism? |To Define Terrorism | |Debate over what constitutes a terrorist or a terrorist assault occurs with each mass violent attack. In remarks to the Center for | |International Policy in Washington DC, on November 2001, former Ambassador Keeley (2002) discussed the necessity to define | |terrorism, and illustrated the challenge of constructing a definition that can be applied steadily. (Keeley, 2002) Thirteen years | |later six different U.S. government agencies have differing definition of Terrorism, and there is no consensus on a definition. | | | |Critique of Definitions of Terrorism | |Although the wording used in the within the definitions varies, there are key words each of the agencies emphasize. The U.S. Code | |Of Federal Regulation does not distinguish between a government and sub national group who uses terrorism as a method. United | |States Code Title 22, Chapter 38 and the U.S...
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...Although terrorism is a forefront issue in today’s world, it is in many ways indefinable. There are many reasons as to why it is extremely difficult to define terrorism, but the biggest is the wide variety of tactics and motives of so called terrorist attacks. Because of this variety, it is difficult to assign one definition to a word. The idea that the word “terrorism” is essentially indefinable makes it alarming that the word is used so often in outlets such as politics and the media. It is such a powerful word it can persuade the opinions of people who are not entirely informed. Due to this, the political implications of the word can be huge and it is important that the issue be addressed. One of the main components of most definitions of “terror” includes some type of violence or intimidation with a political goal in mind. Beyond this, the definition is very controversial and even these characteristics are very vague. This violence can range from killing thousands of innocent civilians to an arguably much lesser degree of cyber attacks. Another big issue is the fact that an act considered one of terrorism by a certain party, is typically viewed as justified by another party. The way American citizens view the act of American troops entering the Middle East is significantly different than the way the people in those respective countries do. To certain people, the United States’ military has committed acts of terror, and its not surprising considering their point...
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...Why has it been so difficult to define the concept of "terrorism?" 1 Why has it been so difficult to define the concept of "terrorism?" 2 Arriving at a consensual definition of terrorism has been particularly difficult. Although it is not a new phenomenon, finding a universally accepted definition that fits every terrorist event has not been achieved with any measure of success.1(Spindlove & Simonsen, 2010) Terrorism is an ideological and political concept.2 (Mahan & Griset, 2007) Some concepts and definitions are either too specific or too vague. 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. In assessing the different perceptions, concepts and definitions of terrorism, it appears that the most disparity lies within the description of terrorist motivations. It is vital to be comprehensive in the categorization of motivations because the methods and targets selected by terrorists are often reflected by their purpose. This paper will examine contrasting perceptions regarding an event some call terrorism. Its nearly three years after the Nov. 5, 2009, shooting rampage in Fort Hood, Texas, an event some call "terrorism". Major Nidal Hasan, American-born an Muslim, currently faces the death penalty if convicted...
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