Terrorism in the World

September 11, 2001 (herein referred to as 9/11) was a day in American history, which will be remembered as the most horrific attack on American soil. This attack, carried out by nineteen Islamic extremists, was associated with al-Qaeda, and involved the hijacking of four airplanes. Two of those airplanes were hijacked and flown directly into the World Trade Center in New York City, New York. The third plane’s target was the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the fourth plane was brought down in Pennsylvania where it is believed the passengers aboard fought the hijackers. This horrific day in history cost over 3,000 people their lives, and was labeled the worst attack on American soil since the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II.

When al-Qaeda suicide operatives hijacked and crashed various planes into the Twin towers of the World trade center and the Pentagon, the aftermath of these attacks led to immense losses. In fact, the impact and the resulting fires led to the complete of the twin towers as well as the destruction of the other building with the World Trade Center Complex. While this particular attack seemed like a religious-based attack, there are various arguments that might show that this was not a legitimate reason for carrying out the attacks. There are various arguments that show different perspectives of the events that occurred during the attacks as when compared to what the conventional individual was led to believe.

On April 19, 1995, a terrorist set off a bomb at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building. The explosion killed 168 people and injured 842 more. The bomb went off at 9:02 a.m., and it “destroying a third of the building and left a thirty-foot-wide crater” (Casey 2).

The Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995 is known to be the “worst act of homegrown [domestic] terrorism in the nation’s history” (FBI, 2010). On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh, parked a rented box truck outside of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. No one knew that, “inside the vehicle was a powerful bomb made out of a deadly cocktail of agricultural fertilizer, diesel fuel, and other chemicals” (FBI, 2010). Before he exited the vehicle and headed towards his getaway car, he ignited two timed fuses – at exactly 9:02AM, the bomb exploded. The explosion killed 168 people, 19 of those being children, and injured nearly 650 (Scott, 2013).

In regard to the 1993 World Trade Centre bombings, Ramzi Yousef was the man responsible. The explosion occurred beneath the World Trade Centre which left 6 people dead and a further 1,000 injured (FBI 100 - 2008). Following the arrest of Yousef, the US task force uncovered a second terrorist plot to bomb a series of New York landmarks simultaneously, including the U.N building, the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels and the federal plaza (ibid). In addition to this, the FBI found information that Yousef had intended to topple one World Trade Centre tower with an explosive with the collapsing debris knocking down the

The 1995 gas attack in the Tokyo subway system stands as one of the most prominent terrorist chemical attacks against civilians to date. Though the Japanese government was warned of the impending violence nine months prior, they were caught ill prepared when it unfolded (Wright & Martin, 2008). The group known as Aum Shinrikyo was responsible for the subway attack and this was not the first time they used sarin gas. The city of Matsumoto was the test bed that served as the proving ground for the events that took place in Tokyo (Wright & Martin, 2008).

On February 26, 1993, Middle Eastern inspired terrorism truly hit the United States homeland. A small group of seven terrorists rented a van, parked it in the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center, departed and then detonated it. The explosion resulted in six killed, more than one thousand injured, and a nearly 100 foot crater that was several stories deep. (FBI, 2008).

Examining their similarities and difference can provide a better understand on the impact of one group or countries decisions to attack a state and the social and political consequences that follow. The anatomic bombing of Hiroshima Japan was conducted by the United States on August 6th, 1945 during the last months of the war. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure (Bombing of Hiroshima). In the process decimating the city itself leaving it a wasteland. 56 years later on September 11, 2011, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Queda hijacked four airlines within the United States they then proceeded to carry out suicide attacked against the United States. Two of the planes where flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York while the others landed in a field and into the pentagon. The two events marked some of the saddest most horrific days in our worlds history creating discussion on the definition of terror.

On March 20th 1995, in Japan's capital of Tokyo was fell victim to a chemical agent attack by the terrorist group Aum Shinriko. The group, which at its high water mark, numbered an estimated 50,000 members after the attack, was found to have been able to produce enough sarin to kill more than four million people. (Wright 2008) Members of this group, faithfully followed the orders of their leader Shoko Asahara and launched the chemical attacks against civilians in the Tokyo subway system. Twelve people were killed by the gas, and thousands were injured, and experts have suggested that if the five men who carried out the attack had better understood how to distribute Sarin properly, thousands could have died (Crime Museum, n.d.).

Have you ever had a fear for your family, your town, your country, or your world. How about the fear to have everything taken from you, destroyed, and not caring if it has hurt you or not? What about your fear and pain is, and can be someone else’s happiness? The fear of you being terrorized? That is terrorism. Someone else bringing fear and terrorizing you. That is a terrorist’s goal. Terrorism is common and is very difficult to stop. The government promises protection for the people, and their home, but they can not give that protection if they can not stop terrorism. Terrorism needs to stop to protect the live of the people, and their country.

Over the years there have been significant changes in how terrorism is carried out. With the changes in how terrorism is carried out there have also been dramatic changes in how countries counter terrorist attacks. The modifications in the way a country counters these terrorist attacks affects international relations of these countries. These issues bring about the question of how have counter terrorism methods affected international relations. To answer this question several things must be addressed which are, methodology, history of terrorism, and a literature review of multiple authors that have discussed this subject.

When looking at the terrorism that ISIS has endued it has become very evident that a solution needs to be drawn into action. In my opinion the only way to take down this organization is to begin to treat it like the state that it is. A state is defined as: “a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.” ISIS has not only gained territory in Syria, Iraq and Istanbul but according to New York Times columnist, Tim Arango, “ISIS is building a capacity to govern.” In 2014, ISIS formally informed the world on their establishment of a caliphate. This caliphate is governed under Islamic beliefs and rulers. “They have begun issuing identification cards for residents, promulgating fishing guidelines to preserve stocks, and requiring that cars carry tool kits for emergencies” (Arango). Believe it or not, ISIS has been a state for two years, regardless of their lack of legitimacy, their consistent threat of violence against any of those who oppose their beliefs allows them not only to get things done, but get them done efficiently. Whether we want to accept it, ISIS is a state, and we need to treat it as such.

Terrorism happens every day in modern life and we are oblivious to it. Day cares have children bullying others. Beating up families to prove to their rivals they mean business is just one of the100 plus definitions of terrorism. There are many types of terrorism and each one is different butone thing is certain, terrorism is a threat to global society. Terror comes from a Latin term,terrere meaning "to frighten" and this was use was used by the Romans to describe the "terror" of the barbarian tribes in 105 B.C, from then on people have been using terrorism as a use to gaintheir true goals at the expense of the general public or their victims. Terrorism should beinternationally agreed as a crime regardless if it

Terrorism is defined in the word itself; to promote terror or fear. The goal of a terrorist is also to create the most damage, particularly mass casualties. Terrorists have a variety of ways to instill fear, but what Americans fear most is the use of WMDs. Terrorists have used WMDs as a tactics to induce fear for generations and in some cases they followed thru with their threats. After Pearl Harbor, Americans realized they could be attacked at home, but over time the memory of that day faded and was replaced by bravado again. Unfortunately, the idea that the United States could never be touched was decimated as millions watched those towers fall on 9/11. The question is no longer if the United States will be hit, but has become, when will it happen again?

It was in 1947 when the whole world was sleeping, India was rising to see the sun of its freedom but what is the cost of freedom, which India is still paying by lives of civilians in the name of religious terrorism. Terrorism has given birth to two countries which are now known as Pakistan and Bangladesh and the series continues.