Ch. 8 Key Issue 4Why Has Terrorism Increased?

Why Has Terrorism Increased?• Terrorism•Systematic use of violence to intimidate a population or to coerce a government• From the Latin word meaning “to frighten”• Use of bombing, kidnapping, hijacking,

and murder to instill fear and anxiety in a population• Cannot define precisely• One persons terrorist is another persons

freedom fighter (George Washington may have been considered a terrorist by UK)

Who do terrorists aim for?• Military/political violence (astray

bombs, assassinations) = civilians are not intentional targets• Terrorist act = ordinary people are

primary targets. Terrorists consider all civilians responsible for actions of their gov’t• Distinguishing can be difficult

Domestic Terrorism• OK City bombing• USS Cole• Unabomber• 9/11 Attacks

Al-Qaeda “the foundation”• Founded by bin Laden to unite jihad

fighters across Middle East• Fight against Soviets in 1989 (with US

help)• Ran like a business: franchises,

committees• Use religion to justify attacks•Disagree with policies of US and Europe

Bin Laden’s fatwa• A religious decree• Said all Muslims have a duty to wage

war against US citizens•US was responsible for maintaining the Saudi royal family, and Israel as a Jewish state•Destroy these, and Islam’s holiest cities would be liberated from US occupation/control• Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem

State support for terrorismThree increasing levels of involvement

1. Providing sanctuary2. Supplying weapons, money, and intelligence to terrorists3. Using terrorists to plan attacks• US used these criteria as basis for

post- 9/11 invasions, mainly to overthrow leaders who supported terrorist groups

Afghanistan• US helped Mujahedeen fight off

Soviets in 1980s• (2001) depose Taliban leaders who

supported terrorist and violated human rights•Used own weapons against us•Bin Laden living as a “guest” of Afghanistan

Iraq• (1991): Gulf War- drive out Iraq from

Kuwait.•Remember the oil field/access to gulf conflict?

• (2003) Afraid Hussein would give WMDs to Al-Qaeda- invasion not supported by a lot of countries• Ba’ath Party (Hussein) and Pan-Arab

nationalism vs Al-Qeada • Power vacuum after Hussein

overthrown- tribes fighting for power• Kurds supported involvement, Shiite

and Sunni did not- why?

• Stable is when the Ba'ath had Baghdad/ But corporate jets really had to have that gas bad/ War, and they hope they all fall from the ratatat (gun shots)/ Cause that's just more dinosaur for the Cadillac

Iran• 1979 power struggle between Pro-US

Shah (political leader) and the Ayatollah (religious leader) Khomeini • US embassy seized and held hostage

(Argo)• Ahmadinejad harboring terrorist and

developing nuclear program

Amadinejad Quotes• Anybody who recognizes Israel will

burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury.• The UN structure is one-sided,

stacked against the world of Islam.• We’ve never been anti-Semitic

Pakistan• Conflicts within a diverse multiethnic

state •Division from India in 1947 (West Pak.)

• “War on Terror” spilled into Pakistan•US thought bin Laden to be hiding in Pakistan (they were right)

• Over a nine-month period in 1941-42, the German Luftwaffe (air force) bombed London, destroying more than 1 million houses and killing approximately 43,000 people. Except for the fact that this act was carried out by a state, does it meet your definition of terrorism?

• Over a period of two nights (February 13-15) in 1944, the U.S. and British air forces dropped approximately 3,900 tons of high explosive and incendiary (fire-causing) bombs on Dresden, Germany. Their objective was to destroy Dresden’s rail yard, but they dropped so many bombs all around the city that the resulting firestorm killed about 30,000 people, most of whom burned alive. Except for the fact that this act was carried out by a state, does it meet your definition of terrorism?

• Should we draw a distinction between “terrorism” and “war” as separate concepts?