Special Interest Terrorism And Terrorism

Modern terrorism, as deduced from this literature, is acts to violence strategically used by secular groups spanning international borders with the aim of achieving a desired outcome. Further, it can be seen as organized activity whose genesis can be traced back to the 1880’s. From then to now there are identifiable traits and patterns observed from different (terrorist) groups which have allowed for the conceptualization of the term modern terrorism. This concept therefore, can be best explained in the context of being a wave or having a life cycle. That means it is a cycle of activity demarked by phases from inception and expands along the way then eventually it declines. The world, thus far, has experienced four waves of modern

This article by Isabelle Duyvesteyn starts off by summarising the objectives that challenge the perspective of terrorism since the last decade of the twentieth century is fundamentally new. In this article certain questions have been debated regarding new aspects of terrorism and they are: “transnational nature of the perpetrators and their organizations, their religious inspiration, fanaticism, use of weapons of mass destruction and their indiscriminate targeting.” ("How New Is the New Terrorism?", 2017)In order to understand the depth of aspects of new terrorism the article talks about “national and territorial focus of the new terrorists, their political motivations, use of conventional weaponry and the symbolic targeting that is aimed in order to achieve a surprising effect.” ("How New Is the New Terrorism?", 2017)

“Terrorism's particularly heinous but highly attractive means to achieve political objectives or even radically restructure political foundations is manifest within societies in all reaches of the world. While the practical application of terrorist methodologies comes across as a relatively straightforward craft, the conceptual and ideological understanding, and subsequent evaluation of its socio-political influence, implementation, and psychological impacts present difficult questions, and in some cases conceivably insurmountable obstacles” (Romaniuk 2014, para

After all, it is not as if right-wing extremism disappeared after September 11. The history of right-wing extremism from 1995 to the present day has been one of a steady stream of plots, conspiracies, terrorist acts, and hate crimes. The recent history of extremist violence in the United States has in most respects been dominated by right-wing extremists.

Sparked by the Versailles Peace Treaty, the second wave of terrorism began. The second wave, also known as the anti-colonial wave, is where terrorism campaigns were fought over political problems where it would look too weak to back out. The third wave, or “New Left,” began after the Vietnam War. The New Left was the beginning of hijackings with the mix of the first wave’s radical and nationalistic intentions. The second wave includes groups, such as the PLO and FLN, whereas the New Left includes the Weather Underground and the Red Brigades. Each group has their own objective, strategy, and support which made them stronger.

Terrorism, a word most people fear, but so often misinterpret. The textbook definition of terrorism is “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims”. But how does that compare to domestic terrorism? Domestic terrorism or “homegrown terrorism” can be defined as “the committing of terrorist acts in the perpetrator’s own country against their fellow citizens”. Throughout the years, America as a nation has experienced quite a few occurrences of both types. An early example of homegrown terrorism would be the Haymarket Affair which occurred May 4, 1886 where in Chicago’s Haymarket Square, labor protesters detonated a bomb during a rally. Chicago police then responded by firing

The U.S. law enforcement and counterterrorism professionals have been cautioning for years that the right-wing extremist threat in the United States is on the rise, from September 12, 2001 to December 31, 2016, the right-wing terrorists were responsible for 47% of all deaths from violent extremism in the United States. Nonetheless, Far-right menace violence that includes racist sentiments of hate crimes can and will manifest to great domestic terrorism. Their acts of terrorism as well as the other attacks are a form of psychological warfare; they use their violence as propaganda to shape perceptions of political and social issues in their favor, which in turn sends a message to a broader target audience. Far-right individuals have become bolder on their acts, some individuals who preformed these violent attacks, would plan their attacks ahead of time, but now there is not a blueprint, attacks are now merely based on chance encounters that enrage the perpetrators which triggers these random attacks. Furthermore, with individuals who have this mindset that they have nothing to gain or lose in society, are the

Terror has become a common feeling in today’s world. Music concerts and churches have become targets for terrorist activity. People are now thinking twice about their safety before leave home. In the book Terror In The Mind Of God by Mark Juergensmeyer, he starts off talking about different terror acts and how it has changed how he views the world. He says, "On a different day, at a different time, perhaps in a different bus, one of the bodies torn to shreds by any of these terrorist acts could have been yours or mine" (Juergensmeyer p. 3). He goes on to talk about how he feels betrayed that his "personal security and order that is usually a basic assumption of public life cannot in fact be taken for granted in a world where terrorist acts exit" (Juergensmeyer 3). Terrorism is a huge concern for Americans today. We hear on the news about church shootings and attacks on people attending an outdoor concert. We begin to feel unsafe going out in public and enjoying basic activities.

Section 802 of the USA PATRIOT Act (Pub. L. No. 107-52) expanded the definition of terrorism to cover ""domestic,"" as opposed to international, terrorism. A person engages in domestic terrorism if they do an act ""dangerous to human life"" that is a violation of the criminal laws of a state or the United States, if the act appears to be intended to: (i) intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping. Additionally, the acts have to occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States and if they do not, may be regarded as international terrorism.

The Report of the Task Force on Disorders and Terrorism, assembled by the National Advisory Committee, provides the following typology of terrorism: Political Terrorism - “violent criminal behavior designed

Acts of terrorism are typically political oriented and ideologically motivated, ranging from specific goals expressed in terms of the might of political nation-states to more general purposes connected to the dilemma of certain people and groups. Therefore, terrorism can result from demands made by ethnic groups to receive representation in an existing political community or have its own state be formed, while terrorism can also be part of ideological fights for the acknowledgment of diminished expressions of ideas and ways of life. Because of the essentially political ideological objectives of terrorism, the fundamental ideas of terrorism are important to consider as the inspiring forces that fuel terrorist groups and individuals.

In this manner, Veldius and Staun (2009) refer to radicalization as having two different approaches; ''One concerns the violent pursuit of certain goals, and the other is about attaining far-reaching changes in society, which does not necessarily have to include any type of violence''. Whereas the concept of ''violent pursuit of goals'' cannot be termed ''terrorism'', the

Right wing miliita groups represent a danger to the domestic security of the United States. Their ideology of violence or the threat of violence is consistent with the laws and values of the American people as a whole. From their perspective, they believe they are defending their liberty, property, and their lives from an oppressive government and thus believe their actions are justified. Looking at the movement’s psychology, as well as aims and means, it will be clear who in the IC has the authority and responsibility to deal with this domestic terrorist threat and how. The integrity of the US government and the security of the United States may depend on it. In this paper, an overview of right wing militias will be covered. The US Intelligence Community will be examined as to how it contributes to the prevention of domestic terrorism. Structured analytic techniques will be examined to determine the most comprehensive so as to provide decision makers and law enforcement options to interdict a plot. The issue of domestic terrorism is severe enough that the FBI is actively targeting such groups.

Terrorism in the twenty-first century has some similarities and differences from terrorism in the twentieth century. Terrorism is, in its broadest sense, the use or threatened use of violence in order to achieve a political, religious, or ideological aim. Also useful to remember that because the two entities involved, the terrorists and the terrorized, are on the opposite end of the political, religious or ideological continuum, the same act is viewed by them differently. There is much sense in the phrase one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.

The history of terrorism can be traced back as far as the French revolution. Some of these acts of terrorism only seem as distant reminders of our past, but at the same time, are not a far cry from today’s brutal acts; and although these acts seem distant, it doesn’t also mean they are no longer in the thoughts of individuals in today’s time.