Terrorist Motivation

“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

inflict a heavy cost. The authors continue by positing a dilemma that sounds nearly identical to Adler’. They assert that terrorists use a strategy of provocation that is designed to induce a violent response, which will in turn radicalize population and lead to them supporting the terrorists.

Throughout the world, terrorism affects cultures in a myriad of ways. The United States Department of Defense defines terrorism as, “ the calculated use of violence or the threat of 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” (DOD). Terrorism has emerged in the last ten years as one of the most crucial issues governments attempt to tackle. Many movies and documents can help people better understand the major strain of terrorism. As seen by the effects of the September eleventh attacks on American security, tourism and economy, the Taliban, and Somali piracy, terrorism has had an utmost impact on the world.

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.

When psychologists study motivation, it’s sometimes puzzling to understand the motivation behind suicide bombers. Why would someone kill tens, hundreds, or even thousand people while killing themselves in the process? The Intersection addresses this. I feel that if psychologists can understand why suicide bombers do what they do, they might be able to prevent it. Many attacks like these are made because the terrorizer wants to make a social change. It’s a big challenge trying to get inside the brain of these bombers because you can’t really talk to them after the fact. However, we can read their farewell letters, wills, watch farewell videos. Just the fact that they have these documents means that they probably want to be remembered after

Terrorism can be defined and viewed in many different ways. As discussed in “Terrorism and Political Violence,” by Alex Schmid, there are multiple frameworks in which terrorism can be defined (Schmid 2010, 197). In Schmid’s article, he discusses the five ways he feels terrorism can be looked at, terrorism as/and politics, terrorism as/and crime, terrorism as/and warfare, terrorism as/and communication and terrorism as/and religious fundamentalism (Schmid 2010, 197). This is interesting because it explores the concept of terrorism in different lenses, where each has its own motives, its own background and its own participants. This is important to understand because not every act of terrorism is done in the same light and for the same purposes. Just as any other crime, there are reasons behind the act. When studying terrorism, understanding motives makes all the difference, and understanding what is at stake for the attacker or the attacked helps fully conceptualize the matter.

In the article “Profile of a Terrorist” by Cindy Combs, the author maps out and discusses the different causes of terrorism committed by people. Understanding and determining what drives people to terrorism is no easy task. Why do people choose to commit acts of terrorism? Why do people choose to become rebellious and wreak havoc on so many innocent civilians? Combs discusses the different types of terrorists as suggested by Frederick Hacker who was a Vienna-born psychiatrist and psychoanalyst and expert on aggression and terrorism.

The ever evolving subject of terrorism and terrorists is the subject of significant study worldwide. The psychological and behavioral factors involved in terrorism are one of the most studied issues. It has implications across the board for both the detection and deterrence of terrorism. How terrorists communicate and the influence that it plays in growing terroristic ideology, mission, and goals are also of significant importance, as well.

The definition of terrorism has forever been a topic of debate. One thing agreed upon however, is that there are different types of terrorism. For instance, there is religious terrorism, and there is political terrorism. This paper will discuss the question: How do religious and political terrorism differ in terms of their roots, their motivations, and their methods – and it will also briefly discuss how their traits coincide.

Since the darkest day, September 11, 2001, the citizens of The United States of America are on alert and are weary of acts of terrorism. One can turn on the television and can easily find an act of terrorism. Most recent acts are the Boston bombings or the bombings in Volgograd, and most recently the two bombings in Sochi. What drives someone to complete the devastating acts of terrorism? How can on predict, based off of antisocial behaviors, who is more likely to become a terrorist? Regardless of ethnicity, nationality, or racial background, experts agree terrorists share one common link: their childhood. One tends to be more susceptible to becoming a terrorist because of a traumatic event in their childhood to cause antisocial behavior.

The assignment being completed within this report asks the author of this paper to answer several questions. The first relates to the psychological attributes of terrorists. The second question asks for historical and cultural antecedents to September 11th. The third and final one asks for mental illness and its inconclusive link with terrorism. Reasons for the inconclusiveness as well as reasons people become terrorists.

Terrorism has continuously played a brutal role in frightening societies across the world. There are many nations that have faced horrible issues and continue to try to find a solution but to no avail, because terrorism still exists around the world. There are many questions that have still gone unanswered and many governments are finding some relief “with considerable assistance from anti-terrorism organizations (Fischer, 2002).”

Terrorism, within modern society, has become a common strategy employed by various radical groups throughout the world. The utilization of terroristic tactics originated in Russia during the 19th century as a response to an autocratic Russian system that was believed to be well overdue for refinement. During this time, terrorism remained within its place of origin and was a carefully directed phenomenon. Thus, most acts of terror were aimed at specified targets who were chosen systematically, ensuring the message being conveyed was clear and no harm occurred to civilians. With the progression of society, terrorism has evolved into a more horrific strategy. Evolving from a once directed phenomenon to an increasingly unsystematic style of attack, that can occur anywhere at anytime. This change has caused many to believe that terrorism itself is a mindless act that serves no purpose other than to instill fear within society. This assumption is partially correct, but contrary to popular belief the use of terrorism by radical groups does serve a purpose. By instilling fear within society through violent acts, terrorists attempt to usher change. This is because “Terrorism is based on the idea that the kind of change desired can be achieved only with violence” . With this belief, many radical organizations choose to utilize terrorism as a tool to cause change, as they believe it is the only way to bring about change. Another effect of this belief is radical groups are

October 12, 2002 would become a decisive turning point for foreign and domestic politics in Indonesia. On that day, the lives of over two hundred and two people were claimed after three bombs were denoted simultaneously in Bali and one in Sulawesi. This act of violence was to become the most devastating act of terrorism on Indonesian soil. The Bali bombing can be viewed as the most devastating act of terrorism not only because the bombing was the first attack against the country, but also because the attack itself can be viewed within the typical framework of the ~{!.~}revolt against the West~{!/~} as Bellamy (2005) has argued.