Global Terrorism
History
Terrorist acts can trace their roots back 2,000 years. The first examples can actually be found in the first century during the Roman occupation of the Middle East. The Sicari used daggers to murder other Jews that they deemed apostate while the Zealots generally targeted Romans and Greeks to execute, both in daylight in front of witnesses.
Other religious groups also resorted to terroristic methods to promote their ideology. The Assassins -an 11th century derivative of a Shia Muslim sect called the Ismailis-also resorted to stabbing their victims. Their name, literally meaning “hashish-eater” murdered politicians and clerics who did not adopt the version of Islam that they were spreading. Like many religious terrorists today, the Assassins viewed their killings as a sacrifice and guarantee they would enter heaven
The last religious-inspired terrorists until the 20th century were the Thugees. This Indian group ritually strangled random travelers in order to make a sacrifice to the Hindu goddess of terror and destruction. The Thugees were an active terrorist group spanning over 2 centuries, from the seventh to the mid-nineteenth century and our responsible for about one million deaths.
A popular use of terrorism was during the French Revolution. During that time the French Republic used terror to secure power with the famous guillotine. Over 40,000 people lost their lives to the guillotine and from then on the word ‘terror’ has been used in a negative light.
In the 20th century, before World War I, many government officials in Serbia sponsored and trained many Balkan terrorist groups, such as the Young Bosnians”, who helped assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This illustrates state-sponsored terrorism long before today. After the war the League of Nations proposed conventions to prevent and punish terrorism. These proposals had little weight as dictatorships in Nazi Germany, Italy and Communist Russia employed terroristic measures to come to power.
Since World War II, terroristic activities have shifted to the Middle East and Africa. Places like Algeria, Kenya and Malaysia have resorted to both terrorist and guerilla warfare against the French and British. These terrorists were arguably the first to publicize their destruction to the world. The terrorism in places like Palestine has seen the rise of terrorist groups achieve their goals and even enter government by democratic vote.
During the 60s and 70s, terrorist groups began forming for ethnic basis. Groups like the Provisional Irish Republican Army, Palestinian Liberation Organization, and the Italian Red Brigades were motivated not by nationalism but by ideological values. In the United States groups like the Black Panthers used some terroristic means to popularize their agenda.
By the mid-80s countries like Libya, Syria, Iran and Iraq emerged as frontrunners in the reemergence of state-sponsored terrorism. These countries served as a medium for attacks against America and other Western countries in the Middle East region. Most of these countries still remain a threat to the United States today. This along with the religious terrorist has abled countries like Iran to promote its propaganda throughout the world. (CDI)
Today’s terrorism reaches all places in the world. Groups like al-Qaeda have proven that no country is left safe and that attacks can be from anywhere. Countries, such as the United States after September 11th, realize just how dangerous this new religious fanatic terrorism really is and future strikes may involve deadly weapons of mass destruction.
Types
Terrorism can be classified into at least four different types, according to the Foreign Policy Association. The first kind is Nationalist-Separatist Terrorism. This is defined as “violence undertaken by those seeking to establish a separate state for their own national/ethnic group(FPA).” Examples of such a group are the Irish Republican Army, Basque Homeland and Liberty and the Kurdish Workers Party.
Religious terrorism is the second type of group. Groups such as al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah encorporate “the use of violence by those seeking to further what they conceive as divinely commanded purposes, often targeting broad categories of ‘enemies’ in an attempt to bring about sweeping changes(FPA).”
The German Red Brigades, Red Army Faction and Prima Linea are groups that fall under the Left-Wing Terrorism group. These groups are created to seek to destroy capitalism and set up a communist or social government, using violent means.
The final group is complete opposite of the last. Right-Wing Terrorism hopes to end liberal democratic governments using murder and destruction as its tool. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols are the most famous right-wing terrorists that bombed the Oklahoma City Federal Building in 1995. (FPA)
Global Terrorists and the United States
The United States has been the top enemy of terrorists for decades. America has been subject to terrorist acts dating back to 1982 in Lebanon. Hezbollah captured thirty US and Western hostages, killing some. Bombing of the United States embassy and military barracks in Beirut followed in 1983. This was preceded for even more explosions, hijackings and attacks throughout Africa, Europe and the Middle East. (IP)
The first attack from a global terrorist inside America occurred in 1993 when Ramzi Yousef planted a car bomb inside the garage of the World Trade Center building. This attack killed six and injured over 1,000 (Wik).
Until 2001 there was no other global terrorist attack in the United States. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001 nineteen Muslims hijacked four commercial airplanes. The terrorists ran two into the World Trade Center towers in Manhattan and one into the Pentagon. The fourth was brought down heroically by the passengers in the plane and downed in Pennsylvania. The final death toll after that day was 2,986. (Wik2)
The United States Office of Counter Terrorism has a policy for those who plan to attack the country. First, make no concessions to terrorists and strike no deals. Second, bring terrorists to justice for their crimes. Third, isolate and apply pressure on states that sponsor terrorism to force them to change their behavior. Fourth, bolster the counterterrorism capabilities of those countries that work with the U.S. and require assistance.
After the September 11th attacks President Bush has mobilized the government and military by enacting a number of new policies and laws to fight and defeat terrorism.
President Bush and the Global War on Terror
After the single largest attack on American soil, President Bush changed United States policy forever with the Bush Doctrine: a reversal of course from Clinton-era policies in regard to the uses of United States power, especially, military force. The President’s course of action against global terrorism is simple, bring the fight to them before they come to us and spread democracy around the world. The revised National Security Strategy has nine elements to promote this plan and achieve victory:
?Aspirations for human dignity, by which is meant largely the promotion of democracy.
?Strengthening international alliances to defeat global terrorist networks and prevent attacks.
?Diffusing regional conflicts.
?Preventing opponents from threatening the U.S. and allies with weapons of mass destruction, – read pre-emption is still an option.
?Leading on global free trade.
?Tying development aid and democracy promotion.
?Cooperating with “Other Center of Global power,” a rather amorphous lot that includes NATO, the World Trade Organization and countries like India.
?Transforming the U.S. national security institutions for the 21st century, which is still a work in progress.
?Confronting the challenges facing globalization.
As President Bush has continued to say “The United States is in the early years of a long struggle, similar to what our country faces in the early years of the Cold War,” this strategy is long-term and very broad. (Dale)
Only nine days after the attacks of September 11th the President created the Office of Homeland Security was created to help protect the homeland from terrorist attacks. Later becoming the Department of Homeland Security, it was headed by Governor Tom Ridge and combined 22 federal agencies to coordinate the effort. According to the White House Department of Homeland Security website, the department is organized into 4 divisions: Border and Transportation Security, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Countermeasures and Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection and has a clear mission to “Prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism and; Minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur.”
In order to successfully complete the strategies of the Bush Doctrine and the Department of Homeland Security, the Congress has passed many laws that made it easier to fight terrorism at home and abroad. The most popular set of laws is known as the Patriot Act. “The Patriot Act is one response on how the United States is waging war against global terrorism while still remaining true to the country’s founding ethics on freedom, equality, privacy, and human dignity (Meese).” It attempts to accomplish three major goals. First, it grants investigators familiar tools to use against the new threat of terrorists. Second, it breaks down the wall secrecy between government agencies to encourage information sharing. Third, it updates outdated laws to respond to the internet and the new environment which we live.
President Bush believes that defeating the threat of global terrorism requires more than just military might. Efficient law enforcement and intelligence-gathering activities are very valuable to prevent more attacks on Americans, using the same techniques that are commonplace for organized crime and drug trafficking for terrorism. Such practices as wiretapping are often scrutinized by groups but the 9-11 Commission authorized by the President has concluded that the laws in the Patriot Act are not only legal but essential to the War on Terror. (Rosenzewig)
The 9-11 Commission also recommended in it’s report for the creation of a Director of National Intelligence to oversee all 16 intelligence agencies in the United States government. On February 17, 2005 the President appointed John Negroponte to that post (Wik3). The main job the Director must do is to implement the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. This important act gives Negroponte the diligent task of reporting to the President all intelligence matters, creating common standards and also managing all agencies budgets. Negroponte described his job
“to help you [intelligence agencies] do your jobs better by ensuring that the intelligence community budget is well-spent, the intelligence community is working together as a team – military and civilian, abroad and at home – and our community-wide analysis is objective, timely, and relevant to the nation’s needs.”
Future
Terrorism is more sophisticated today than ever. Terrorists have set up global networks that are capable to strike at any time. Far from the revolutionaries of France or the rebels of the 11th century, these new age radicals have more deadly and farther reaching weapons those in beginning of the 20th century could have ever imagined. Terrorists like Usama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi use a number of strategies to kill and disrupt their enemy’s lives. Suicide bombers, road side bombs along with kidnappings and beheadings are tactics employed to help set fear in Americans and westerners lives.
Because of this new era of terrorism, new and innovative ways to counter this threat must be used. Global coalitions have been established and governments across the world are working together to defeat a common enemy hidden within it’s borders. A policy of pre-emption and if necessary, unilateralism against state sponsors and safe havens of terrorists is employed in hopes they do not commit another September 11th-like attack or worse. The biggest fear is weapons of mass destruction getting in the hands of maniac terrorists with no regard for life. People who believe killing themselves will lead them into paradise are hard to take lightly and leaders who take terrorism seriously realize this. The War on Terror will take generations to complete and must take dedication and patience to achieve full victory.
Center for Defense Information. July 2, 2003. “A Brief History of Terrorism” Foreign Policy Association. January 15, 2003. “Classifying Terrorism” Wikipedia Encyclopedia. World Trade Center Bombing Wikipedia Encyclopedia. September 11 Attacks InfoPlease. Terrorist Attacks Dale, Helle. The Heritage Foundation. March 22, 2006 “Freedom Doctrine” The Department of Homeland Security Website Rosenzweig, Paul, Kochems, Alane, Carafano, James J. September 20, 2004. The Patriot Act Reader. Understanding the Law’s Role in the Global War on Terrorism. The Heritage Foundation. Office of the Director of National Intelligence website. About ONDI. Wikipedia Encyclopedia. National Intelligence Director. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Director_of_National_Intelligence
