Terrorism : A Global Rebirth Of Attacks

The word ‘terrorism’ can be traced back to the French Revolution and the reign of terror committed against the population of France in the 1790s. During this time, thousands of people were killed and the general population was severely oppressed. Also, some of the first instances of terrorist tactics, such as assassination and intimidation, were witnessed in the killing of prominent officials and other opponents of the Revolution. In general, terrorists aim to incite fear in the population through pre-meditated violent acts and gain publicity as a medium in achieving their goals. Such acts include taking hostages, bombings and assassinations, all of which create fear and compliance in a victim or audience. Terrorism can be distinguished from other types of political violence through its disregard for and intentional harming of innocent civilians. Also, terrorists usually adopt a state of mind where one side is always good and any opposition is bad and deserves to be punished. As a result, terrorists will always have some supporters who share the same radical thoughts as them and thus terrorism, as a whole, will always be accepted as a legitimate use of violence. This is the reasoning behind the famous phrase by Gerald Seymour, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”(QUOTE

Terrorism is defined as an act of violence that is committed by an organization or a single person in order to be heard. Terrorist acts are usually based on a couple factors such as, historical grievances, foreign policy decision, poverty, and religion. Terrorism is not a new act amongst the world but something that has been around since the beginning. To understand a criminal you must think like a criminal, and understand why they committed a crime or a violent act, then you can prevent and conquer.

In the book War on Terror, by Patrick Coaty discusses issues that reference to terrorism. His main focus was the attack on 9/11 the terrorism issue has been more aware to the public on how dangerous it can be. According to Coaty terrorism was formed during the ending of the revolutionary France by the Jacobins they thought it was “cleanse” that it would take away all evil (Coaty 84) . The concept of terrorism was a form of have “power” over people a legitimate system was used to fear the public. In modern-day terrorism does not obey the law or have any law. Terrorism is not only based on bombing, killings and amonio, the government needs a title for a group it can be an individual whose against the government. A more popular group on terrorism is the Islamic fundamentalism. Terrorism comes from history, but recent it had shocked the world by different terrorist attacks and many innocent lives.

Terrorism has been creating havoc across the globe for the entirety of recorded history. Today, with the invention of the Internet and different computer programs, these radical groups that enact these deadly attacks are able to change the way they operate through the use of technological advances to further their onslaught on humanity. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” (International vs. Domestic Terrorism). Every person on the planet can be affected by terrorism, regardless of religion, gender, or race. Throughout history radical groups who become obsessed with their own opinions and beliefs try to force others to believe in their views through displays of violence and terror. Contrary to modern beliefs that terrorists are only radical Islam groups like Al Qaeda and Isis, but in reality almost every group of people from Christians to even environmentalists have enacted radical terrorist attacks. Terrorism, like technology, is not exclusive to industrialized nations or countries but is available to anyone with the right resources. These technologies are used throughout the world to connect average people to others and is almost always used for good. Terrorist organizations take advantage of new found communications

In order to determine whether an action is a terrorist act or not, terrorism must first be defined. Terrorism is the use or threatening the use of violence as a weapon to influence a person or a group of people to change policies or influence decisions according to the terrorist’s desires. The terrorist can be a single person acting on personal wishes or a group of people with an ultimate goal. The goals of a terrorist are normally political, ideological, or religious in nature.

Terrorism is becoming a problem in today’s world. Do we even know what terrorism is? Terrorism is the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. This definition is a very weird way to say terrorism is used to make countries obey other countries. The Islamic countries send so called terrorists over to the United States and other countries to detonate bombs and make bombs to try to make people change to the Islamic faith. Terrorism has origins all the way back to the French government during the 1793–1794 (Reign of terror).

Terrorism is defined as the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion. It’s a problem that the United States and other countries have dealt with since before 9/11 but more significantly afterwards. On September 11, 2001, there was a series of four attacks by the Islamic terrorist group known as al-Qaeda. Two planes crashed into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and a third crashed into the Pentagon, which houses the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense in Virginia. There was a fourth plane that was on track to Washington, D.C. but crashed into field in Pennsylvania. Several lives were lost, a total of 2,977 according to a CNN report. However 9/11 was only the beginning of terrorist attacks. Although 9/11 happened in the United Sates, terrorist attacks are felt worldwide and happen in countries other than the U.S. Recently, there have been terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels. In 2015-16 alone there have been 10 known terrorist attacks in places such as Syria, Nigeria and Iraq, which doesn 't include the minuscule ones that the media doesn 't cover. I will describe the beginnings of terrorism. Second, I will show the influence of religion on terrorism, particularly Islam. Lastly, describe the effects of terrorism on different parts of the world and its causes.

The Central Intelligence Agency defines terrorism as “premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents” (CIA). This term was specifically created to differentiate terrorism between other acts of violence. These doings of terrorism are not just any act but are specific acts of violence. A dominant reason behind terrorism tends to fall upon religious beliefs and culture ties.

Many agree that terrorism is a phenomenon that is hard to put a label on. Historically considered a crime it has deservingly become treated as an act of war in the post 9/11 world. Modern-day terrorism has blurred the boundaries between a crime and war and reshaped the traditional understanding of the concept of war itself turning the entire globe into a battlefield. Contemporary war is much less a confrontation of state armies fighting for territorial control, but terrorist, guerilla and paramilitary groups fighting military superpowers. Without much for the resources, terrorists were able to merge with the global civil society and threaten the state and international security by endangering and spreading the fear in the civilian population.

While terrorism dates back to around 1 BCE, it has become much more prominent in our everyday lives within the past few decades. We are constantly worried about the next attack, when it is going to happen, and where it will be. Whether it is physical or cyber, terrorism is one of the top concerns for the United States. Although it is extremely difficult to define, the U.S. Department of Defense describes it as “the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological objectives” (Hoffman, 31). While it is hard for us to understand why someone would cause something as horrific as 9/11 or the Paris bombing, terrorists believe that they are doing good and helping the world. They are very methodical, have missions, rules and regulations, followers, and goals that they want to achieve. The goals of terrorism are to evoke fear, fight for religious, ideological, or political change, and to obtain worldwide recognition for what they have done.

Terrorism has been around since the time of the romans and the greeks. It is a tactic used to inspire fear into others and set an example to others what the perpetrators are capable of. When the use of it was first put to action it was not a very big deal. Now in present day, technology has driven us further along with unrest sprouting more ways for it to be used in many different forms. Domestic terrorism and abroad are both equally dangerous and terrifying.

There are generally four repeating common themes used to define terrorism: (1) the use or threat to use violence; (2) a political objective; (3) with intent to spread fear through a public act; (4) with the intent to commit violence against civilians (Various, n.d.). Additionally, these themes are promoted mostly by non-democratic societies or dictatorships that advance their goals through state sponsored terrorism. State sponsored terrorism is not conducted by democratic regimes for if they truly suppressed their people through acts of terrorism then they would no longer be democratic (Various, n.d.). Terroristic acts involving the slaughter of innocent men, woman and children from all sides are often justified or legitimatized by the accustomed morals and values of each group. Although there is extensive literature on the subject of terrorism, no common or universal definition for the term exists.

The concept of terrorism as defined by Hoffman in his book, Inside Terrorism, is not easily defined. Hoffman indicates that most definitions do not give the word “terrorism” a clear definition for today (Hoffman 2006). However, according to Hoffman, the Oxford English Dictionary does provide a definition that embodies terrorism since its beginnings. “Any one who attempts to further his views by a system of coercive intimidation.” (Hoffman 2006, 3). The views that are typically political or idealogical in nature (Hoffman, 2006, 2-3).

Although the security of people is a predominant ingredient in many countries, terrorism has existed as long as humans can remember. Nevertheless, terrorist attacks drastically increased within the past ten years. Due to increasing terrorist threats, understanding the history, nature, and mechanism are critical factors in realizing how terror works. Terrorism is actions taken by individuals or groups that feel suppressed and marginalized. In addition, terrorists implement immensely cruel tactics in order to achieve their political goals. Although the majority of terrorist activities gain justification, terrorism has become a major threat to the world because it implants fear inside the human mind.

Terrorism, which has been around for as long as people can remember, has been on the rise for the past ten years. Terrorists usually use murdering, kidnapping, hi-jacking and bombings to achieve their political purpose. For instance, according to Wikipedia.com (2006), in 1985 816 deaths, then in 2003, more than 1,000 people died by terorist acts around the world. In recent years, terrorism seems to be at a new height and attacks are much more violent than in the past. Unfortunately, in spite of many anti-terror campaigns, projects and organizations are being created for prevention (to prevent) terrorism, the number of terrorists only is increasing. These days terrorism is all over the world.