Terrorism: Why and How it Works
For it was only a handful of guys, working under the direction of another guy (who has a strong hatred for the United States) who caused the mind-boggling destruction of the World Trade Center towers in New York and the heavy damage to the Pentagon (the heart of U.S. military capability worldwide) on September 11, 2001. How could so few people cause such tremendous damage and monopolize virtually all media coverage in “the most powerful country in the world” on that infamous day?
That episode illustrates quite clearly what terrorism is all about. In short, it shows (1) who tends to use it, (2) why they tend to use it, (3) why it captures extensive media coverage, and (4) why we (i.e. citizens of stable, developed countries) are no longer as safe as we once were (even during the period of the Cold War).
Who uses terrorism?
Traditionally when we look at the world, we tend to focus our attention on countries. Even our maps of the world identify land mass around the globe in terms of countries (and their governments) which control a particular piece of territory (identified by specific borders). And during the Cold War, the overwhelming majority of countries sided with either the Soviet Union or the United States politically and economically.
But today, groups of people who are dissatisfied with the status quo are making their voice heard more insistently. Al-Quaeda is one such group. It is not a country. It does not control officially a specific piece of territory (as does a national government in a country). In fact, given the traditional structure of the international system–built upon the creation and official recognition of countries–Al-Quaeda and other such groups find it hard to be heard in the setting of an official international forum.
Consequently, they can (and often do) resort to terrorism to make their message heard.
Why use terrorism?
Terrorism allows dissatisfied groups to leverage their resources. In short, it enables them to get the biggest bang for the buck in their efforts to bring about changes in the status quo.
Look at what happened on September 11th. A few men managed to fly planes into the towers and the Pentagon. (A fourth plane was headed for a target in Washington, D.C., but due to the resistance of passengers aboard, it never reached its destination.) By targeting high profile buildings and hitting them in dramatic fashion, the terrorists succeeded in riveting the attention of the world’s media on what they were doing. Everyone, everywhere knew what they did.
What’s more, they succeeded in making their strike in “the most powerful country in the world.” They didn’t have the military capability of the U.S. armed forces. They didn’t have the resources of the U.S. economy. They didn’t have an organizational system which paralled the “checks and balances” system of government in the U.S. In other words, the terrorists didn’t have the perceived strength of the United States–its power–at their command. Yet they were able to bring the United States to its knees.
Why does terrorism draw extensive media coverage?
Citizens of countries such as the United States rely upon their government to keep them safe. Providing physical security for citiziens is one of the main rationales for the creation of a country. The role of the government of that country, especially if it identifies itself as being a democracy, is to see that each citizen enjoys the same level of security as any other citizen.
When terrorists strike, they do so in random fashion. They almost always act against civilians. They do this on purpose. Their aim is to destory the confidence of people in the governments. The terrorists’ message, in effect. becomes “see how your government cannot protect you from us?!?!.” In that way, they hope to force public opinion to pressure a government to accede to the demands of the terrorists.
The media, of course, play an integral role in spreading fear throughout a population. Just think of the many times you saw the video played and replayed on TV of the planes flying into the towers.
Think of how unsettled you, your famiy and your friends were as you watched it. And you did watch it–over and over again.
Why are we no longer as safe?
The events of September 11th signaled in unforgettable fashion how the stability of the internationl system which prevailed during the Cold War is over. No longer are countries able to assure stability. In today’s world, individuals (e.g. Bin Laden) and groups (e.g. Al-Quaeda) are able to wreak havoc at will.
What’s more, the structure of the international system has not yet changed to accommodate them. In other words, how does a government deal officially with dissatisfied individuals and groups such as Bin Laden and Al-Quaeda?
The idea of countries and giving them a key role to play in maintaining the stability of the internaitonal system came into existence in 1648 in Europe through the Peace of Westphalia. What’s needed now is an equally substantive modification of the structures of the global system. A mechanism for ensuring stability, even as dissident voices are heard and dealt with.
Talking about reforming the United Nations may or may not be a first step in that direction. But one thing is certain. Until such a mechanism becomes fully funcitonal, we’re going to see more terrorist attacks along the lines of what we witnessed on 9/11.
