Zero Dark Thirty 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

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

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 is an act of violence, usually done in the public sphere, which is used to incite fear in a population in order to coerce change in public opinion or a government’s position on an issue. In many parts of the world, groups wage war with their countries, either to separate from the government or to overthrow it entirely. Sometimes these people are treated unfairly by their government, and their struggles are justified. Other times, these groups use violence against both military and civilian targets, terrorizing innocent bystanders to get what they want—these groups are terrorists. Often, though, it is difficult to tell the difference.

They elucidate that terrorism is a “premeditated, politically motivated, violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups of clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience,” (National Institute of Justice).

The word “terrorism” was first used during the French Revolution when British statesman Edmond Burke used the term to describe the actions of the Jacobin-dominated French government. Under the leadership of Maximilien Robespierre, thousands of people that were said to be enemies of the state were put on trial and then executed by use of the guillotine (O 'Connor, 2006). However, since the inception of the word, it has taken on a new meaning. One can now hear the word “terrorism” and be overcome by anger or even fear. Terrorism now seems to have turned to attacks against a government rather

Osama Bin Laden was responsible for the attacks on September 11, 2001. He was the one that order the four groups of terrorist to hijack and crash the plans into the twin towers, the pentagon and the other site that wasn’t reached. Bin Laden had a very precise plan to execute this attack on America that he had planned for many months. This plan was misunderstood by Americans. They had no idea why someone would want to attack America. America was the greatest country in the world why would anyone want to attack it. They needed to know what was the motive of Osama Bin Laden. The Americans wanted his head, but this wasn’t the climax for this conflict.

Terrorism has been a part of the history in the world for centuries. Although the definition of terrorism has developed throughout time, many threats and events are described as terrorism. There have been several waves of terrorism, according to David Rapoport (Weinberg, Eubank 2014). These waves showed different goals and outcomes of the terrorist groups during a certain time period. The earliest forms of terrorism were considered assassinations in attempts to change political power. During the eleventh century, the Sicaril and Hashshashin were terrorist of that time because of their attempts at assassinations and kidnappings.

There are many differing definitions of terrorism. What is terrorism? How do we define it? Why is one man’s terrorist another man’s freedom fighter? These are just a few of the questions that face the world on a daily basis. There are many challenges that face the international community when it comes to how to define terrorism and what it constitutes. This paper will explore the challenges facing scholars when it comes to labeling terror and discuss potential ways to properly define it.

Terrorism is often associated nowadays with radical extremist groups, who use terror as their only method of power to attain their goals from others. The first time “terror” was actually used however was during the French revolution. The reign of terror was seen in the aftermath of the execution of the King. It was a product of the mentality of the revolution. With everyday that passed, the uncertainty amongst the people grew, and actions became more and more drastic. With the King no longer in the picture, the Jacobins and the Girondins were more enemies to one another than ever before. During the French Revolution, it can be debated whether or not the terror that was used can be seen as a sign of power or as a sign of weakness. Whether

In the movie, “Remember the Titans”, the scene where the Boone family was terrorized by the Klu Klux Klan made a statement, after a burning bottle soared through their living room, sending the family into a frenzied state. Similar situations equivalent to and more severe in this particular scene, has plagued our world since the beginning of time. The argument will be made that, just like the Boone’s, many generations of people have had to live in terror among every day, normal lives not knowing what tomorrow held. Terrorism is the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. Whether the issues be religious, racial, or political; terrorist have felt the compulsion to persuade groups of people to believe their radical ideas are the correct way of life. The word terrorist originated in the late 18th century, during the French Revolution. At this time, the Jacobins employed violence, including mass executions by guillotine, in order to intimidate the regime’s

Whereas the French Revolution first popularized the words ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism’, its contemporary understanding differs from its revolutionary meaning in 1794. The serious economic difficulties, the threat of foreign invasions and the social structure of the French government are some of the causes that led to the fall of the monarchy in August 1792. Left without a constitution for almost three years and at the hands of a revolutionary government, the reign of terror suggests an example to future states in oppressing their populations. The revolutionary government asserted its sovereignty and power through punitive violence, such as surveillance, mobilization, and executions. The massive political, economic, and social changes

Zero Dark Thirty is the controversial 2012 film of the decade-long hunt for the al-Qaeda terrorist leader, Osama bin Laden following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The film follows Maya, a CIA operative whose field assignment is to interrogate prisoners in order to find the whereabouts of al-Qaeda’s leader. She is initially hesitant about using enhanced interrogation techniques in order to retrieve intel from prisoners but later encourages those same torture techniques. For several years, she is single-minded in her pursuit of leads to uncover the location of bin Laden. Finally in 2011, her work pays off and the U.S. SEAL Team Six is sent to either kill or capture him. In Zero Dark Thirty, the director, Katherine Bigelow, used pathos and the screenwriter, Mark Boal used pathos throughout the whole film to capture and maintain the audience’s interest.

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.