The Globalization of Terrorism - coffinblog–Nations sponsor terrorism •Geopolitics •Globalization •Economic disparity •Religious differences •Cultural differences 1/13/2009

1/13/2009

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The Globalization of Terrorism

Global Issues 621

Chapter 23

Page 364

What is Terrorism?

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What is Terrorism?

• Unfortunately, the term ‘terrorism’ is one that has become a part of our everyday vocabulary – but how do we define the term ‘terrorism’?

• LET’S FIND OUT:

– In groups of three or four students, complete ‘The Problem of Defining Terrorism on pages 365 and 366.

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Geography of Terrorism

• The causes of

terrorism can often

have geographic

origins

– patterns can be mapped

– Nations harbor terrorists

– Nations sponsor terrorism

• Geopolitics

• Globalization

• Economic disparity

• Religious differences

• Cultural differences

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Global Patterns of Terrorism

• Modern terrorism began

in 1968 when an Israeli

plane was hijacked by

Palestinian terrorists.

• But terrorism has

changed in today’s

world:

1. Terrorists understand the

role mass media plays

(Internet, media

releases)

2. Little care is given to

avoid death and injury to

ordinary people.

• No warnings issued

• Maximum death is the

goal


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Is Terrorism Common?

• Hundreds occur each

year, but receive

little attention:

– They cause little death

and/or little damage

– We have become

desensitized to the

violence?

• There are many

terrorist groups still

active in the world

– Some are presently

inactive like the IRA

– Others are active and

wreaking havoc worldwide

• See Figure 23-3 on

page 368

• Al-Qaeda (65 Nations)

• Hamas (Israel)

• Hezbollah (Lebanon)


Increasing or Decreasing?

• Depends on how it is

measured.

– Do you count only

international terrorism?

– Do you ignore incidents

involving attackers and

victims within one

country?

– Problems arise with how

politicians and the media

choose to use these

statistics to either

exaggerate or underplay

the incidents of

terrorism.


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Objectives of Terrorism

• Terrorism isn’t, in itself, a goal; it is a method used to achieve a goal.– As aspect of

asymmetrical warfare (fought between opponents who are not militarily equal; the weaker party resorts to terrorist acts)

– There are four basic objectives of terrorism:


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Objectives of Terrorism

1. Group wants to achieve a

specific goal

– Overthrow a

government

– Forcing a foreign

army to leave a

country

– Obtain money

– Release of prisoners

2. To cause widespread fear

and anxiety, hoping to

break down the normal

social order of the

target population.

3. To provoke the target

government to overreact

and introduce excessively

harsh counterterrorism

measures, which may cause

the population to oppose

the government (sound

familiar?)

4. Governments may use

terrorist methods to force

obedience from the general

population (state terrorism)


State Terrorism

• Terrorist acts carried

out by governments:

– Political opponents are

murdered

– Torture used to

intimidate and to gather

information

– Opponents ‘disappear’

• State terrorism has

declined with

governments showing

more respect for human

rights

– Myanmar

– USA (Iraq, Afghanistan)


State-Sponsored Terrorism

• Sometimes, a nation

doesn’t commit

terrorism, but

provides a safe

haven for terrorist

groups

• (Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan

and Pakistan?)

• USA has been accused of

supporting terrorist

regimes in Chile and

Argentina.



Rational Motivation

• Rational Motivation:– Terrorism becomes the last

resort after other methods of

achieving goals were not

effective.

• Psychological Motivation

– ‘True believers’ in the

cause

– Opponents are ‘evil’

– Absolute beliefs and

disagreements lead to

smaller factions

• Cultural Motivation

– Fear of culture and

religion coming under

threat

– Terrorism becomes the

defense of one’s

culture or faith,

which is one’s DUTY


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Freedom Fighter or Terrorist?

• Depends on which side

you support.

• The US once considered

Nelson Mandela and the

African National

Congress to be

terrorists.

• As the politics of a

country change, so does

the label of

‘terrorist’ or ‘freedom

fighter’.

• Osama Bin Laden, when

fighting the Soviets,

was worthy of moral and

financial support.

– Not so much anymore, yet

he has changed very

little. Consider:

– Fights for his faith

against powerful foreign

enemies, using whatever

methods he has at his

disposal.


Changing Nature of Terrorism

• Not just guns & bombs

anymore.

• Chemical Terrorism

– Nerve gases

– Anthrax spores

– Bioterrorism

• Nuclear Threats

– Acquisition of an atomic

bomb (Pakistan, India,

North Korea)

– Build a nuclear weapon

– Build a hybrid (dirty)

bomb with nuclear wastes

– Blowing up a nuclear

power plant



‘War on Terror’

• It is difficult to

declare war on a

methodology – not an

enemy.

• Wars end in:

– Negotiation

– Surrender

– Destruction of one side

• In the current war:

– No country to negotiate

with

– Catching/killing all

terrorists is impossible.

• Evidence suggests that

the current war is

creating more

terrorists than

stopping them.

• Counterterrorism

– Networks of spies

– Electronic surveillance

– Invasions of privacy?


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Fighting Terrorism

• Arrests may be possible

for domestic terrorists

• Negotiated settlements

• Assassinations

– There are legal and moral

complications in this for

governments.

• Invasion of a country

to disable the

terrorist group and the

government which

supports it.

– Al-Qaeda & the Taliban in

Afghanistan

• Has led us to a lengthy

asymmetrical war

• Meanwhile, the allies

try to help rebuild the

country


Fighting Terrorism

• GWB’s ‘axis of evil’

– North Korea

– Iraq (invaded in 2003)

– Iran

– Little evidence to

support the US invasion

• Who funds terrorism?

– Expatriates

– Governments?

– Sympathizers

– Financial globalization

makes it easy to move

money; technological

globalization makes it

easier to track it


Fighting Terrorism

• Better protect likely

targets:

– Increased airport

security

– Protecting nuclear plants

– City water systems

– Major sports facilities

• Problems

– Can everything be

protected?

– Will the public stand for

it?

• Some anti-terrorist

laws violate civil

liberties

– Being held without

charges

– Wire taps

• To eliminate terrorism,

we have to eliminate

its causes:

– Economically

– Socially

– Geopolitically

– Environmentally

– Religiously

– culturally


Images

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The Globalization of Terrorism - coffinblog–Nations sponsor terrorism •Geopolitics •Globalization •Economic disparity •Religious differences •Cultural differences 1/13/2009