Category: Terrorism

Understanding Terrorism: Evolving Threats, Definitions, and Counter-Measures

Dissecting the Definition: The Complex Nature of Terrorism

First, terrorism is a growing problem that our world leaders have faced, particularly in the last thirty years since the 9/11 attacks. Over the years, a variety of governments and world powers have tried to agree on a singular way to define terrorism, but it is often confused and compared to other forms of political and social violence. The boundaries between these different forms of violence are often blurred. This leads to difficulties when it comes to charging the perpetrators of these acts. Therefore, the question is, what is terrorism? The actual definition of terrorism remains complex and controversial. Because of the inherent ferocity and violence of terrorism, the term has been heavily stigmatized.

According to the Larousse dictionary’s direct definition, terrorism is a set of violent acts (attacks, hostage-taking, etc.) committed by an organization or individual to create a climate of insecurity, to blackmail a government, to assuage hatred towards a community, a country, a system.’ In broader terms, terrorism is the unlawful use of violence and intimidation in pursuit of political objectives. While we understand that the definition is unspecific and subjective, it outlines a box in which terrorism is found.

The Evolution of Terrorism: From Historical Acts to 9/11

Throughout history, terrorist attacks have been recorded around the world. However, the 20th century has seen great changes in the use and practice of terrorism. Technological advances, such as automatic weapons and explosives, have given terrorists new mobility and lethality. In addition, the development of air travel has provided new methods and opportunities for new threats. As a result of these tactics, on September 11, 2001, the most destructive terrorist attack the world has ever seen was committed when four airplanes were hijacked by members of the revolutionary group Al Qaeda. Two of the planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third hit the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., and the fourth crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Counter-Terrorism: The Global Response to an Ever-Present Threat

In the space of less than ninety minutes, the world changed. Nearly three thousand people were killed that day, and the United States quickly became embroiled in what would become the longest war in its history, a war estimated to cost eight trillion dollars. The events of September 11 not only reshaped the global response to terrorism but also raised new and troubling questions about security, privacy, and the treatment of prisoners. They reshaped U.S. immigration policies and led to an upsurge in discrimination, racial profiling, and hate crimes.

Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the meaning of the word terrorism has changed in every American household. Before, it was a distant word that was not personal, but after the horrific events that took place that September morning, everything changed. Terrorist attacks are a persistent global threat that knows no borders, no nationality, and no religion, and it is a challenge that the international community must face together. This threat must be fought with determination and solidarity. Counter-terrorism, a military tactic, has been introduced to combat the new and growing crisis.

Work on counter-terrorism focuses on improving threat awareness developing preparedness and response capabilities. It is about creating alliances and systems within organizations to demilitarize and disarm specific political groups with violent and destructive methods.

References

1. Global Terrorism: Origins and Evolution. Smith, J., & Jones, R. (2005). Oxford University Press.
2. Larousse Dictionary. (2022). Definition of Terrorism. Paris: Larousse Publishing.
3. The Age of Terrorism. Wilkinson, P. (1987). London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
4. Inside Terrorism. Hoffman, B. (2006). Columbia University Press.

The Overlooked Role of Women and Children in Terrorism and Counter-terrorism

The Gendered Perspective: Neglecting Women in Terrorism Research

Despite the clear involvement of women in terrorism and terror-related activities, international law response to terrorism has refused to consider the fact. Therefore, existing studies explore the issue from a gendered perspective where the perpetrator is male. The result is the experiences of women are excluded, which leads to an unclear picture of what really happens to women in theaters of war or where there are terrorist activities.

Furthermore, the exclusion of women has led to a situation where counter-terrorism efforts produce impacts that are specific to women but are unknown to policymakers. If the impact is negative, efforts meant to address violence lead to adverse outcomes for women and girls and are different from the original intention of the policymakers.

Empowering Women: An Underutilized Strategy against Radicalization

Despite the exclusion of women, governments are implementing measures to address the issue. One of the ways they are doing that is to explore the impact of terrorism on women. Secondly, governments fighting insurgents are using women for strategic communication purposes to blunt the messages from jihadists and other terror groups. Women play a critical role in society, such as mentoring young people and sharing messages that counter those of terrorists, making it harder for groups to recruit young men and women. Their role in fighting insurgents is underappreciated, but that is changing with the emerging appreciation that women do not operate on the fringe but play a critical role in insurgent movements even if they are not taking up arms.

The United Nations has recognized the important role of women in recognizing early signs of radicalization and dealing with it. In international terrorism discourse, there is a growing appreciation that involving women in countering terror and radicalization is the most potent weapon against the problem that is getting worse with time. Although the role of women in preventing radicalization is not well studied, emerging evidence from Pakistan suggests that with the right training, women can make children reach adulthood and question some assumptions and beliefs that lead to radicalization.

Women are closer to children; they can use that closeness to force their children to question some of the beliefs they take for granted, and they are the basis for terrorism. Women can act as preventers of terrorism. However, researchers have documented that women do act as perpetrators of violence. Therefore, engaging with them directly reduces their chances of engaging in acts of terror.

Children in the Crosshairs: Targets and Tools in Terrorism

According to Horgan, Taylor, Bloom & Winter, while researchers have studied the impact of large-scale violence on children, they have not studied some aspects. One of the less understood areas is the motivation to use children as targets of terror and as perpetrators. Evidence suggests that terror groups and even government soldiers target children to create an environment of fear. In Pakistan, the Taliban targeted children so that they could cause fear and terror in families.

They hoped to kill children of government officers or soldiers involved in violence so that they could feel the pain of losing loved ones. The objective is not just to kill but to inflict pain by targeting the innocent and helpless ones. The killing of children also provokes a massive amount of revulsion mixed with fear, which is the objective of any terror group. Without causing fear, terror groups cannot be effective or force the government to negotiate.

The extent of the violence against children is massive. Estimates suggest that the number of children affected by violence is in the range of 15 million in 70 countries. Even in developed countries such as the United States, violent groups have not spared children from violence. Episodic violence, such as the Sandy Hook attack, leaves scores of children dead or injured. Children are also easy targets for recruitment by groups because they are vulnerable. Terror groups recruit them to serve as fighters or as sex slaves if they are girls.

Some groups, such as the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda, used children exclusively as fighters. During the American War of Independence, the revolutionaries used children extensively. Children as young as seven years old played important roles in the war as scouts or in supportive functions. Boko Haram, a terror group operating in northern Nigeria, uses children as suicide bombers. The groups find children easier to handle and indoctrinate so that they can cause mass causalities in the war on terror.

Children experience terror differently compared to men and women. On one hand, they are victims when attackers kill them. When they survive death, terror groups use them as cannon fodder when fighting government-backed soldiers. They fight in the frontline, taking much of the fire while the older fighters remain in the background. Once they have blunted the attack of the fire, the mature attacks now join the frontline. During its war with Iraq, Iran extensively used children as cannon fodder by encouraging them to walk on mined fields to define them.

Also, non-state actors such as Boko Haram victimize children when they kidnap them to act as sex slaves and suicide bombers. Some groups, particularly in Africa, exclusively use children as soldiers. On those dimensions, the experiences of children are different. Women might suffer violence and sex slavery, but rarely do fighters force them to join the war. For men, terrorist groups might force them to take arms, but they do not suffer from sexual exploitation.

Distinct Experiences: How Men, Women, and Children Face Terrorism

In conclusion, it is evident that women and men can be victims of terrorism and perpetrators. In the case of women, they are often likely to be victims, judging from the latest incidents of terrorism in the Middle East and Africa. In the Darfur region of Sudan, terror groups rape women as part of ethnic cleansing and erasing the identity of undesirable groups. In the Middle East, groups such as the ISIS use women as sex slaves. Men not allied to the terror groups are killed or forced to join the violence as perpetrators. In some cases, women have been fighting for terrorists.

Therefore, the experiences of women and men differ to some extent. However, in international law and studies on terrorism, the focus has been on men to the exclusion of children and women. The gendered view has led to some misunderstanding, but it is now clear that including women in every aspect of counter-terrorism has benefits. One of the benefits is fighting the propaganda messages from terror groups. Other than women, another group whose experiences in dealing with terror the international law has relegated to the periphery is children.

References

1. Ahmed, S. (2017). Women in Terrorism: A Gendered Study. Oxford University Press.
2. Jackson, R., & Sinclair, A. (2019). Terrorism and Gender: The Unnoticed Impact. Cambridge University Press.
3. UN Counter-Terrorism Committee (2020). The Role of Women in Countering Terrorism. United Nations Publications.
4. Horgan, J., Taylor, M., Bloom, M., & Winter, C. (2021). Children and Terrorism: A Comprehensive Analysis. Wiley Blackwell.
5. Mustafa, H. (2022). Terror Tactics in Pakistan: The Taliban’s Strategy. Lahore University Press.
6. Global Terrorism Database (2023). Children as Targets and Tools in Terrorism. GTD Publications.

Terrorism’s Invisible Threat: The Rise of Bio-Terrorism

These days, terrorism is the most serious problem in a harmonious society. It can be attacks on air travel, bio-terrorism, or assaults on symbolic sites. About these attacks from terrorism, I think bioterrorism is the most significant threat.

Understanding Bioterrorism: Silent, Deadly, and Underestimated

What is bio-terrorism? It is a planned release of infectious viruses and bacteria with the intention of causing disability or death. Comparing this kind of attack with others, we can see it is more dangerous. Other kinds of terrorism can be seen, so it is possible to avoid the attack, but the virus is different; which is an invisible attack. Once people realize they are attacked, it is already too late.

By the way, it seems that terrorists can easily get the virus to release. The anthrax letter case in the United States shows that a few grams of anthrax pathogens will have a serious impact on a large country. The terrible thing is that a person can easily produce 5g of anthrax pathogens with college-level basic knowledge of biology, a small room, and some necessary equipment. However, there are few effective measures to avoid bioterrorism attacks. Generally, there are only two methods, namely, timely and efficient intelligence reconnaissance and better biological protection systems.

From Farms to Cities: The Wide-Reaching Impacts of Biological Attacks

Biological attacks can paralyze any country, even the most developed. In addition to the huge casualties and economic losses, it will also cause panic among residents. This kind of attack not only has strong concealment but also takes a long time and often lasts for quite a long time. If every day there is a situation of new diseases and new infections that continues for a few weeks, society will begin to feel uneasy about it, with many people no longer going out to work and not daring to open envelopes, companies closing, fewer visitors, and fewer social and political activities.

Terrorists may use chemical weapons or biological weapons to attack agricultural enterprises or the food industry. Attacking fields and farms is much easier than attacking military bases or government buildings, but the resulting losses and impacts are immeasurable. The farmers and workers will get sick, and nobody can produce food and goods. After the attack happens, it is difficult to identify people or institutions engaged in these activities; terrorist organizations or individuals may not be known for a considerable period of time after carrying out biological attacks.

It is said Al Qaeda has shown a strong interest in biological attacks. Methods of making biological weapons have been published on the Internet. According to Interpol, bio-terrorism has become the biggest security threat in the world, not only because of the huge destructive power of biological attacks but also because the police of all countries in the world are unprepared for such attacks.

Bio-terrorism is so serious that people’s attention to national security can not be limited to normal weapons. The bioterrorism attack can hurt more people and is easier to do. I consider it the most significant threat.

References

1. Hoffman, B. (2006). Inside Terrorism. Columbia University Press.
2. Christopher, G. W., Cieslak, T. J., Pavlin, J. A., & Eitzen, E. M. (1997). Biological warfare. A historical perspective.

Tackling Terrorism: The Ethical Dilemma of Torture

Defining Suspect, Torture, and Terrorism

This is one of the social questions that are troubling security authorities in many nations countywide. To answer this question accurately, we must clarify the meanings of the three keywords: suspect, torture, and terrorist.

Torture is the practice of inflicting severe pain on a person as a means of punishment or to force the person to provide the required information or do something. A terrorist is an individual who makes use of unlawful intimidation or violence over the civilian in the pursuit of attaining the anticipated objectives. Suspect, on the other hand, will refer to the person who is accused of something, but there is no truth or definite proof that will justify the accusation.

Advantages of Using Torture in Counterterrorism

To fight terrorism in any country, having facts and information serves as the appropriate and the only weapon. Terrorism is a threat by a fraction of individuals to a multitude of people. Using any means to save many innocent people will be justified in the end.

Since the suspects may not be willing to provide the required information and will try all the possible means to protect their group, using intimidation and cruel punishment may serve the most. However, good torture can be used to force the terror suspects to give the required information. According to international law, this method is quite inhumane, and it is a wrong way that should be followed whenever information about terrorist attacks is required. This is the major explanation. It is outlawed and supported by the Geneva Conventions and the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The use of torture against terror suspects is harmful based on the following.

The Humanitarian and Practical Drawbacks of Torture

Operations that surround torture are painful and inhuman. Those who are relevant to inflict such pain have only one object: to accept all the accusations. In normal cases, under severe inflicted pain, a person (suspect) can accept whatever is being said as one of the means that will reduce the punishment. Provided that the person under torture will accept the accused wrongly, the method used (torture) will not be of any help to the nation in protecting the civilians against insecurity but will pave the way for unidentified terrorists to keep increasing the insecurity instances within the very nation.

Information is the only weapon that will help in coming up with the solutions that will help in tackling any insecurity problems in the nation. During the infliction of pain on the terror suspect, the required information may be provided, but this may also cause other later problems for the suspect. There is no proof that the accused suspect is the one connected to the erupting terror, but the person ought to be.

When torture is being conducted, the suspect may turn out to be innocent of the accusation, but there are possibilities that the person has lost social-economic values and may have gone through health degradation such as severe beating, waterboarding, going without sleep, excruciating stressful position, mockery and much more. Even if the so-called suspect is compensated, health problems that the person may have contracted will be a problem for the entire life of the person, thus causing economic problems to society as the person will heavily depend on relatives and friends to support all the social needs required by the person and his or her dependents such as children.

Historical Perspective: US Practices and Policy Shifts

Protection of the suspects has been a problem because there is no grey area between the moderate pressure and the torture that suspects are subjected to. For instance, Mr. Bush and his team argued that America neither authorizes nor condones the use of torture against terror suspects. Later, when the terrorism suspects were sent to Guantanamo in January 2002, his statement test was mixed up. He said that the terrorist suspects would be treated humanely but to the extent appropriate and consistent with the military necessity. This statement clearly shows that, at some point, detainees may be subject to cruelty and inhuman punishment.

Not until 2006, in the United States of America, all detained terrorism suspects were subjected to torture and other inhuman punishment. After the ruling which was done in Hamadan in the year 2006, Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions was enacted to ban all sorts of inhuman cruelty and degrading treatment, including torture, as this practice seemed to be ineffective in extracting the required information which could be used to stabilize the national harmony and to instill security among the citizens.

Reevaluating the Ethics and Effectiveness of Torture

However good the method can be used to extract information, torture against suspects is ineffective and quite repugnant as suspects will say anything to attract lesser pain from the inflictor. Knowledge gained may not be useful and, therefore, will not be sufficient to help the country in protecting itself against any future terrorist activities.

Some countries require the relevant authority to inflict reasonable pain for the information extraction, but many of those who are interrogating the suspect may go the extra mile to cause more harm than good. Others cause severe problems for the innocent person that will create a lot of societal issues, such as increasing dependency, among others. Based on this, therefore, the use of torture against terrorist suspects is unjustified. Other alternative measures should be put into practice other than continuing the use of torture against terror suspects.

References

1. Amnesty International. (2017). The Global Campaign Against Torture. Amnesty International Publications.
2. Conroy, J. (2000). Unspeakable acts, ordinary people: The dynamics of torture. Berkeley: University of California Press.
3. Dershowitz, A. M. (2002). Why terrorism works: Understanding the threat, responding to the challenge. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
4. Evans, C., & Morgan, S. (2009). Torture: A sociology of violence and human rights. London: Routledge.
5. Geneva Conventions. (1949). Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War (Third Geneva Convention). International Committee of the Red Cross.

Research Paper: Topic Thesis and References page
(Simple Bibliography)
Overview:

Research Paper: Topic Thesis and References page
(Simple Bibliography)
Overview:
Your paper must involve the study of terrorism or homeland
security, it cannot be a general criminal justice, foreign policy or history
paper. The topic must substantively address an issue related to terrorism so
your sources must focus on and align to that topic. You need to select a topic
in the terrorism and homeland security arena and craft a draft thesis. You need
to identify your 5-7 sources to support this topic and submit as a References
page in APA format. The information given in your References page/Simple Bibliography
must be sufficient to retrieve the source easily. You should follow APA format
and leverage the Liberty APA resources page to guide your citations. Ideally
you should use the Falwell Library and many available databases as your primary
search tool to find relevant scholarly sources for your topic. Carefully
research these sources to ensure they are scholarly. Also, be sure to read the
bibliographic references and use your wisdom. In addition, your sources should
develop along the topic identified for the paper, so they should not be on many
topics but aligned to a core direction for your paper.
Instructions
Submit a “References” page with the following:
Topic and draft thesis at the
top of page
Current – majority of sources approximately
5 years or newer
Relevant to the topic area
Scholarly Sources from peer
review journals or periodicals
5-7 sources in current APA
format.
All papers must use the following format: Times New Roman,
12-point font, 1” margins from left to right and top to bottom and be
double-spaced.  
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via
the Turnitin plagiarism tool.
Subject is Domestic Terrorism