Terrorism is a very important issue that is plaguing the world today with a large number of countries being affected by it. While it has had a long history, it has come to the limelight after September 11, 2001, strikes on World Trade Center in the U.S. However, terrorism can be either domestic or international and this distinction is important as the consequences of the terrorism may depend on the type of terrorism. For example, international terrorism can have a greater adverse impact on the economic growth of a country than domestic terrorism. The causes of domestic and international terrorism are also different.
Definitions of International and Domestic Terrorism
While there are multiple definitions for terrorism, this paper will provide one definition as a representative of them all. The 18 U.S.C. § 2331 and § 2332b define international terrorism, domestic terrorism, and federal crime of terrorism for purposes of Chapter 113B of the U.S. Code, entitled "Terrorism”, as follows:
Domestic terrorism is defined as the calculated use of violence or its threat, used against civilians to attain political, ideological, or religious goals. This is achieved through the use of intimidation, coercion, or by instilling fear against the people of one's own country. When these same coercive acts of violence are practiced by state or non-state actors of another country against the people of the United States, then it is defined as International terrorism. Both acts violate federal and state law, but the domestic terrorism is perpetrated by the Americans against America without intervention from foreign state and non-state actors, while the international terrorist activities involve foreign state and non-state actors.
Domestic Terrorism
An example of a major domestic terrorist attack in the United States is the attack on the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where a truck bomb exploded on April 19, 1995. The attack destroyed half the building and severely damaged nearly 350 other buildings in a 16-block radius. Timothy McVeigh was the perpetrator, while Terry Nichols helped actively. They had two accomplices who were Michael and Lori Fortier. All of them were born and bred American, while three of them had even served in the U.S. Army. The reason for this domestic terrorist attack was the resurgence of the long-festering American extreme right. This was due to the deadly standoffs at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992, and Waco, Texas, in 1993, both involving confrontations between the federal agents and members belonging to the extreme right. In the first case, a white supremacist Randy Weaver’s son and wife were killed in a badly handled standoff while the federal agents were trying to arrest him. In the second case, the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm’s (ATF) agents raided a ranch in Waco, Texas, which was housing more than a hundred Davidians. The raid went poorly, resulting in a fifty-one-day standoff, which ended in killing four agents, seventy-six Davidians, and wounding many. This was covered by the national television and media causing great controversy and many people felt that the government deliberately massacred the Davidians, including children. A large number of extremists showed up to protest against the government’s action at Waco, and Timothy McVeigh was one of them. This is an example of a domestic terror incident, as there was no foreign direction, help, or training involved. All the perpetrators belonged to the U.S. army. McVeigh was prosecuted for using weapons of mass destruction for terrorism.
International Terrorism
Apart from the September 11, 2001, attacks, the incidence of international terrorist attacks in the U.S. was very few. Terrorism can be defined as the premeditated use or threat to use violence by individuals or groups against civilians towards gaining a political or social objective by threatening people beyond those that have been affected. So, it involves individuals or groups and can include state-sponsored terrorism. Second, a political or social goal is always the reason for the attack and if the attackers only want to extort money, it is not a terrorist activity. Third, terrorism involves attacks against civilians, officials, or noncombatants.
September 11, 2001, attack is a classic case of an international terrorist activity. Nineteen hijackers belonging to the al-Qaida terrorist network commandeered hijacked planes and used them to destroy preselected targets. A Boston to Los Angeles flight was hijacked and crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City. Flight 175 was crashed into the South Tower. Due to these incidents, both towers collapsed killing 3000 persons, which included rescue personnel that was helping in the evacuation. UA flight 93 was hijacked by four terrorists. It was supposed to reach San Francisco after departing from Newark but crashed in Stony Creek Township, Pennsylvania. All people on board were killed and the intended target was not known as the passengers fought the terrorists and crashed the plane. Another AA flight 77 was hijacked after it departed Dulles airport in Washington and crashed into the Pentagon killing 189. The WTC housed citizens of about 80 countries, all of whom perished. The incident was called an attack on civilization by world leaders. Almost every nation condemned the attacks including American Muslim Council and other Muslim bodies. However, some Christian Americans called the event a punishment from God. Some of the media reactions to the American response were that America was interested in a war rather than justice. Osama Bin Laden stated that the motivation for al-Qaida’s attacks were the support given by the western powers for attacks on Muslims in Somalia, Russian attacks on Muslims in Chechnya, Oppression of Muslims in Kashmir, Jewish attacks on Muslims in Lebanon, the presence of U.S. troops in the Saudi, and U.S. support for Israel.
Differences between Domestic and International Terrorism
Based on its victims, targets, supporters, or perpetrators, international terrorism concerns more than a single country. Some of the scenarios in which a terrorist attack is considered as international terrorism are1) if the nationality of the perpetrators is different from one of more of the victims, 2) if the nationality of the victim is different from the country of occurrence, 3) if terrorists have to transit an international border for the attack, 4) if the attacks are against foreign diplomats, 5) if the terrorist events commence in one country but end in another (as in the case of an international skyjacking), 6) if the attacks are against an international organization, or 7) if the attacks are against international peacekeepers. September 11, 2001, attacks are international terrorist attacks as the perpetrators were foreigners, the incident was sponsored from abroad, and the victims hailed from over 80 nations.
Conclusion
Terrorism is a very important issue at the global level. The United Nations has not been able to define terrorism at a global level as there has been a pushback from the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), to exclude armed struggle for self-determination from the definition of terrorism. Considering that there is no consensus on even defining terrorism, combating terrorism becomes difficult. Due to the international ramifications, international terrorism has garnered more coverage and importance by the U.S. government, whereas the number of incidents and the number of people killed due to domestic terrorism are far more than those related to international terrorism on American soil. It was noticed that domestic terrorism can often spill over to international terrorism so it is very important for a country to focus its attention on domestic terrorism too.
References
ADL. (2015). April 19, 1995: the history of the Oklahoma city bombing. New York, NY: Anti Defamation League.
Barrett, D. (2011). Canada and terrorism: a case study. The Agora: Political Science Undergraduate Journal, 1(1), 48-60.
Enders, W., Sandler, T., & Gaibulloev, K. (2010). Domestic versus transnational terrorism: data, decomposition, and dynamics. Almaty, Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research.
FBI. (2016, September 6). Definitions of terrorism in U.S. code. Retrieved from fbi.gov: https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/terrorism
