...years old and I can remember RUNNING HEAD: TERRORIST AND ASSASSINS someone running into my college course screaming, “They have killed them. They flew the planes into the tower. Oh my God1” From that day on I knew that terrorism was real and we had all been affect. It has become one of the scariest things in American life. A lot of us are left wondering when, how, and why after a terrorist attack. It is my belief that most attacks are because of religious beliefs. I also belief that the affects that these attacks have on our society can be over whelming and devastating. It can cause people to loose love ones and suffer for the rest of their lives. In this paper I will attempt to understand what is going on in the mind of a person who commits such acts. I will also take a good look into the lives of the many people that they affect. Even though terrorism and assassination is not something that we worry about on a daily basis, the fact remains that it is very much real and can become a threat at any time. (Mueller 2006) I found this evident while reading an article written in September/October 2006 by John Mueller that states for the past five years Americans have been regularly regaled with dire predictions of another major al Qaeda attack. On the first page of its manifesto, the massively funded Department of Homeland Security intones, “Today’s terrorists can strike at any place, at any time, and with virtually any weapon.” Just this very thought sends my mind racing...
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...Speech Analysis Worksheet Purpose: To rally the American people to support the war effort. Speaker’s background knowledge: President Franklin Roosevelt knew the attack was coming and, people think that he provoked Japan into bombing Pearl Harbor. Influences (traditional, cultural, historical) historical Listener background knowledge: They didn’t know much about what was happening at that time. See the “Types of Arguments” table on page 412 for more information. Arguments Evidence/Support Possible flaws 1. President Franklin Roosevelt provoked the war with Japan. A. We might have been at peace with the Japanese, but that didn’t stop them from bombing the United States. B. Would we have went to war if the bombing didn’t happen? He...
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...Hezbollah “The Party of God” Who Are They Ronald M. Reeves Jr. Columbia Southern University MCJ 6453 Professor David Milen Aug 30, 2012 Hezbollah “The Party of God” Who Are They We are not fighting so that the enemy may offer us something. We are fighting to wipe out the enemy ( Hussein Mussawi, Former Hezbollah Leader). Who are the Hezbollah? This little statement from their former leader sums it up what they are and what they stand for. Hezbollah is an Islamic Shi’ite group that has its origins in Iran and they also have a branch in Lebanon. Their name in Arabic means “Party of God”, it is derived from the Surra 5, verse 56 of the Quran: Lo! The Party of God, they are victorious, this group is not only a political party but a terrorist organization (Encyclopedia of the Middle East). The flag for the Hezbollah is yellow with a green AK 47 and green rocket truck with the entire globe in the background. The early history and foundation of Hezbollah, Hezbollah came around long before the Iranian revolution of 1979, they have strong ties with the religious scholars from Iran and Lebanon, These scholars or Shi’ite ulema studied theology in the academies in Iraq. During the 1950’s and 1960’s these academies were very active bringing together an Islamic response to nationalism and secularism (Encyclopedia of the Middle East). At this point we need to briefly discus the difference between Sunni and Shiite Musliams, the origin of Islam began back in 610 A.D. Sunnis...
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...Transformation of Terrorism Over the past 300+ years terrorism has shifted from driving force to overthrow overbearing governments to a force that strikes anyone who doesn’t follow in line with their beliefs and them tries to validate their actions with religion. The 1700s saw more pirates and looters that were defined as terrorists and the 1800s begin to see terrorists transforming into revolutionaries. By the time the 1900s came about, most terrorist organizations were working with governments with common goals in order to carry out their attacks. Terrorism during the 1700s focused both on personal gain as well as overthrowing an established government. Some of the most recognizable terrorists acts of the 1700s consisted of pirates pillaging from other naval vessels. All throughout the waters of North Africa were pirates who targeted both private and government owned ships in order to steal its cargo along with the ship and personnel. Many individuals and governments had to pay off these “terrorists” in order for their ships and its cargo to safely reach its destination(1). Another example of terrorism during the 1700s, which was aimed towards a standing government, was the French Revolution. The French Revolution lasted from 1789-1799 and was aimed at removing the current monarchy that was ruling France(2). The revolutionists employed violence, including mass executions by guillotine, in order to intimidate the regime's enemies and compel obedience from the state(3). There...
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...War is a tricky subject, and in this case after the attacks from ISIS on our embassy’s, after the attacks on American civilians, we still cannot go to war according to Just War Theory and our moral values, as badly as the American people may want to go to war, we cannot and must not engage ISIS militarily with a full standing army, we have to punish them in other ways. Just War Theory is conducted in three parts, the initiation of war, known as jus ad bellum, the conducting of the war itself, jus in bello, and finally the aftermath of war, known as, jus post bellum (Moser and McDonald, 2016a). Jus ad bellum is the initiation of war and it states that war must have a just cause and that war must be taken by a legitimate authority, and in this situation, both of the characteristics mentioned previously are present. Yes, we have a just cause, and yes, the United States is a legitimate authority. However, we need to look at everything about jus ad bellum, “armed conflict is taken as a ‘“last resort’” and all other means have been exhausted.” Let us not forget that “a just war requires a “‘right intention”’ and to not be motivated by aggression” (Moser and McDonald, 2016a). In this situation, the American...
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...President George W. Bush President George Walker Bush felt the need to invade Afghanistan after a series of events that led to the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. He felt that the people responsible for the death of thousands of innocent Americans should be brought to justice, however, this was made difficult by the lack of co-operation by the Afghanistan government. The Taliban, who ran the majority of the country, thought the accused (Osama bin Laden) was innocent and would not hand him over to the American authorities without sufficient evidence. Bush decided it was necessary to bring this man to America so he may be punished for his crimes, so he placed orders for American troops to enter Afghanistan in pursuit of Osama bin Laden. The Taliban had little or no experience in running a government and it seemed as though they didn’t see this as a priority when they took power in 1996. They demonstrated extreme single-mindedness as they focused on the achievement of law and order under their interpretation of the Sharia law. Their only aim was to create the world’s purest Islamic state; we could see this through the way the Afghan people were treated, the strict laws imposed on women and the way “corrupting influences” (television, music and films) were banned. While the Taliban was governing Afghanistan, many laws were created that controlled all aspects of women’s public and private lives and severely restricted their freedom. Their access...
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...Terrorism Paper Damon Walton His/145 Dec 3, 2012 Senitra Upton Terrorism Paper The word "terrorism" is politically and emotionally charged which compounds the difficulty of providing an accurate definition of terrorism. Some research studies by scholars have shown there to be over 100 different definitions of terrorism. A less politically and emotionally charged meaning of terrorism is a better defined term used for terror. The word "terror" comes from a Latin word meaning "to frighten.” My definition of terrorism is a violent act which is intended to create fear, to promote an ideological/political goal, and deliberately target civilians and non civilian targets. The age of modern terrorism might be said to have begun in1968 when the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) hijacked an El Al airliner en route from Tel Aviv to Rome. While hijackings of airliners had occurred before, this was the first time that the nationality of the carrier (Israeli) and its symbolic value was a specific operational aim. Also a first was the deliberate use of the passengers as hostages for demands made publicly against the Israeli government. The combination of these unique events, added to the international scope of the operation, and gained significant media attention. The founder of PFLP, Dr. George Habash observed that the level of coverage was tremendously greater than battles with Israeli soldiers in their previous area of operations. "At least the world is...
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...President of the US narrowly beating Gerald Ford for the most coveted office in the US. The margin was 297 to 240 Electoral votes (American Experience, 2006). Carter’s State of the Union was focused on oil since we were coming out of an oil shortage in the early 70’s. His speech sent a strong message to the Soviet’s the US was going to protect the Persian Gulf region by any means necessary (2006). In 1947 President Truman made a similar declaration to protect Greece and Turkey from being controlled by outside forces such as Russia, this is why the Cold War has been in existence. The Soviet started taking over smaller vulnerable countries after WWII. The Carter Doctrine provided in some ways many foreign diplomatic affair episodes involving the use of force by the United States. The first Afghanistan War was a result of protecting the interest of the Persian Gulf region. The US had to use military force to prevent the Soviets from taking over the smaller area in and around Afghanistan. This was lasted from 1979-1989 (Bacevich, 2010).The Soviet was successful in hanging around for a while but the most memorable cold war involved Iran. Carter cooperated in the overthrow of the modern government of Iran that had been originally supported by Eisenhower. In its place, Iran installed a tyranny of fanatical Moslem Ayatollahs. The new government seized the American...
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...Over 2.5 million Americans served in Vietnam Spring 1964 less then 50% of Americans have heard of Vietnam US political involvement in Vietnam began in 1954 August 2 1964 USS Maddox is attacked by 3 north Vietnamese torpedo boats in the gulf of Tonkin August 4 second attack is reported Seen as an act of war by the north Vietnamese August 5 1964 US planes retaliate and attack north Vietnamese coastline facilities August 7th 1964 Congress passes the Gulf of Tokin resolution authorizing president Johnson to take all steps necessary in Southeast Asia Original primary goal was not to engage the enemy but advise the friendly nation and let them engage the enemy Vietcong are “farmers by day and fighters by night” November 1st 1964 Vietcong made surprise attack on US airbase 4 killed First direct assault against the US in Vietnam February 2nd Vietcong strike a second us Airbase 8 killed 126 wounded Bombing campaign authorized in North Vietnam by president Johnson Strategies to cripple the North Vietnamese war effort by destroying military and industrial targets and crush their will to fight by demonstrating the awesome extent of American power Planes in south Vietnam were venerable to Vietcong attack so troops were sent in for protection Bringing troops in looks like a step to a larger war from American and north Vietnam standpoints March 8th 1965 at 8:15 am 3500 marines land in south Vietnam First time since Korean war battle ready troops are setting foot on...
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...1. Blah 2 Vietnam- Part of Indochina -France gains control in 1885 and all of Indochina under French control by 1893. -Japan controlled Indochina during WW2. - Ho Chi Minh fought against Japan - Ho Minh advocated for Viatnamese independence all of his life. Wanted to talk to Pres. Wilson at the Versailles Conference about Vietnamese independence. He was a communist who was educated in communist universities in the Soviet Union. Much stronger nationalist (wanted Vietnam free from France. - Ho formed a government in North Vietnam due to his successful guerilla attacks that drove ou the Japanese. -Guerilla attack means you hit and run an enemy and live off the land. -French attempted to reassert control- At the end of ww2, France attempted to reassert control over its colonial holdings. America tried to negotiate with Ho to form a provisional gov. The French refused and Ho returned fighting for Vietnamese independence. - America assists with funds- America helped the French with Marshall plan funds. The French used funds to rebuild their nation to fight Ho. -Dien Bien Phu- French Defeated- Ho’s forces surrounded them (Indochina- fall of military) causing them to surrender. France realized they couldn’t keep the area in their empire 3.Geneva Conference - Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam formed- (from Indochina) -Vietnam divided into North and South Ho and communists in the north -Ngo Diem in...
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...Homeland Security & Emergency Mgmt Instructor: Blake Cheary October 6, 2013 The phrase "Islamic Terrorist" conjures many images for different people. Many will recollect the acts of September 11, 2001 - the act of terror that led the United States first into an invasion of the Taliban-controlled nation of Afghanistan and then into the "Second Gulf War" with Iraq. While both wars made great progress toward the initial goals, namely the overthrow of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and the Hussein dictatorship in Iraq, as the years went by and the war dragged on, seemingly endlessly, the Islamic groups faced by the United States and her Allies seemed to be wearing down the civilian desire to continue to wage war. What American civilians do not seem to understand is that not only does the multitude of groups have very nearly the same goals, but they are also willing to die for their cause and will be almost impossible to defeat unless they are hunted and destroyed. A study of the Islamic terror groups must include historic examples; Islamic extremism is not a recent development, nor has the ideology of the extremist believers changed much since the Islamic Conquests began in the 7th Century. In F.M. Mickolus' work International Terrorism in the 1980's, Mickolus wrote that since 1968 alone two-thirds of the known incidents of terrorism in the world had occurred in the Middle East (F.M.Mickolus, 1989). It would seem that the main focus of Islamic terror groups...
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...Resulting bombing and depopulation of rural areas by the Soviets resulted in 4.3 million Afghani refugees having fled to Pakistan and Iran by 1982. ● In September 1988, Osama bin Laden and 15 other Islamists founded the group al-Qaeda for the goal of a nation governed purely by Islam, and of pursuing jihad against anyone, including the Soviets, who opposed their goal. ● Between 1988 and 1992, Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev withdrew his forces, calling the country a “bleeding wound”, due to the high military and diplomatic cost. During this period of time, the civil war continued as the Mujahideen continued to attempt an overthrow of Najibullah’s government, which was backed by the Soviet Union. ● Following the Soviet withdrawal, al-Qaeda turned its attention towards the United States, considering it to be the main opposition of the Islamic state. ● With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991, Najibullah was left without foreign aid, and his rule toppled in April 1992. This was followed by a civil war lasting between 1992 and 1996 that resulted in the Taliban taking control of most of...
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...the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda, hijacked four American planes and executed pre-engineered terrorist attacks against various targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown directly into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. A third plane then hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, DC, and the fourth and final plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. Now referred to as 9/11, the attacks resulted in extensive destruction, over 3000 merciless deaths in New York City and Washington, and triggered the driving force behind major US initiatives to combat terrorism. Also, may view this horrific event as a defining moment in the presidency of George W. Bush. The first strike was on the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Flight 11, a Boeing 747 carrying 76,000 pounds of jet fuel and 92 passengers, was overtaken by five Arabic passengers, that was later discovered to have worked directly with al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden to both plan and give life to this attack. At 7:40 am the flight departed from Boston as normal, the flight maintained its course for the first thirteen minutes. Following this, the crew was not acknowledging communications with the FAA. Several attempts were made to communicate with the crew but no reply was received, with the exception of the sound of static and was thought to be a scream. Connection was finally made at 8:18am to Cary, North Carolina to the American Airlines office stating that the plane was being hijacked...
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...In the direct aftermath of the 1979 revolution, that sought to dethrone the Shah, the political climate that was left by the Pahlavi regime was chaotic and disorganised. Prior to the American hostage crisis, it was not clear to what extent the formation of a clerical and purely Shi’a Islamic regime could take place. Arguably, the hostage crisis played an important role in the consolidation of the clerical regime: it allowed for one single cause to rally behind; shaped and characterised the religious and clerical nature of the regime; and provided a means of catalysing subsequent events that would be crucial in the development of the Islamic Republic. The consolidation of the clerical regime can be attributed to three national catastrophes...
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...actual fighting over to them as US ground troops are pulled out. 1969 - 480,000 1970 - 235,000 1971 - 160,000 1972 - 24,000 reduced American casualties make up for loss of ground troops by increasing the air war Anti war protest continued My Lai Massacre - Lt. William Calley ordered killing of over 200 unarmed SV civilians Media discovered in November 1969 Shocked the American public, increased demands to end the war NV insisted the US troops would have to be withdrawn before peace talks could begin 1970 Kissinger began secret talks in Paris with Le Duc Tho of NV Cambodian Invasion Kent State University May 4, 1970 National Guardsmen killed 4 protesters and wounded 9 others during anti war demonstration. Dec. 1970 Tonkin Gulf Resolution repealed by Congress -Prepared to cut funding for the war US soldier in Vietnam Came from poor working class with minimal education ‘Grunt’ Average age 19 Morale low, drug abuse common, mutiny common in platoons 1971 Pentagon Papers - Daniel Ellsberg confirm government dishonesty about the war 1971 ⅔ of Americans want US out of the war Nixon renewed massive bombing of North Vietnam (Johnson had stopped in 1969) Madman Theory NV became more determined as fighting intensified 1972 NV staged major invasion on SV acquiring more territory Nixon ordered heavier bombing of Hanoi and mined the harbor of Haiphong to prevent Soviet ships from delivering supplies. 1972 Election Democrats- Sen. George...
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