International Terrorism
Introduction
Terrorism is a word that has been widely used to mean many things. It is not internationally agreed upon definition for terrorism (Williamson, 2009, p. 33). The oxford English Dictionary defines terrorism as the unauthorized use of violence and intimidation to achieve political aims. This definition, however, does not even scratch the surface of the issues referred to by the use of the word terrorism. The term is used to refer to actions of many radical groups which carry out violent crimes with an ulterior motive of influencing change in certain institutions. Religion is perhaps the most used reason for terror attacks around the world. Different countries and security agencies have used the term terrorism to refer to activities in domestic and international context. Terrorism has been used as a weapon by many organized groups to further their own agendas. It has been used by revolutionaries, political parties, religious organizations, nationalistic groups and even ruling governments.
The most prominent characteristic of terror groups is their use of violence on civilians. The main aim of terror attacks on civilians is the creation of fear which most groups hope will yield support for their courses (Ruby, 2002, p. 114). There is an emotional attachment to terrorist associated crimes. There were over 42,000 reported deaths from car accidents maybe more in the US in 2010 alone. Less than 2000 people died from terror attacks around the world in that year. Although it is insensitive to say ‘only’ 2000 died, it is fascinating how the issue of terrorism inspires the attention and great financial commitment around the world. The fear created by these attacks, perhaps fuels this attention. Terror attacks are strategically placed in the public eye to induce fear into the concerned individuals and others in the region or around the world. Very few terror attacks go along without a group or individual claiming responsibility for it. When responsibility is not taken, most authorities label the attack as just a crime.
International terrorism refers to terror attacks carried out in a nation by citizens of another country. These incidences are common where a nation has invaded another and the government of the invaded country fails to take action. International terrorism is often an act of nationalist groups with the aim of dealing with an injustice they see the other country committed against their country. A good example of international terrorism is the countless attacks ‘terror group’; Hamas has carried out in Israel. Hamas is a political group that presently governs the Gaza Strip, a part of Palestine. Hamas has been carrying out terror attacks against Israel for injustices, they claim, the Israeli government has committed against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. The group has carried out attacks since their first successful car bomb in Israel in 1994 which killed 8 people; most of them were children (Levitt & Ross, 2007, p. 12).
International Terrorism has been fueled by many issues over the years. Religion and politics has been the key issues. Religious groups have been holding attacks on civilians, victimizing those who they view as against their religious believes. There are various groups around the world that have carried out terror attacks under the guise of religion. Politics is perhaps the most widespread issue fueling international terrorism. Terror groups have used claims of injustices against their countries to justify their actions in foreign nations. Al Qaeda’s reason for the 9-11 attacks was the occupation of American citizens and companies in the Arab world.
Attacks on foreign citizens and diplomatic missions are also considered international terrorism. There have been many attacks around the world on diplomatic missions. These offer local targets for the terrorists which gives them an advantage over the other nation. Good examples are the terror attacks on US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Daresalam, Tanzania in August 1998 which left more than 400 people dead.
History of International Terrorism
Because there is no definite definition for what should be referred to as terrorism, there are disputed records of when terrorism was first observed. Since terrorism is emotional, it might have been occurring thousands of years ago although for different reasons than it is carried out today. There were many groups that were labeled terror groups for their courses. Many governments labeled their oppositions’ terrorists for their ideologies. There has been a long range of uses for the word terrorism in the past, often meaning or referring to opposite things. Very few people labeled as terrorists have referred to themselves as terrorists. Even those that called themselves so had a different meaning such as revolutionary or freedom fighter. One man’s terrorist was another man’s freedom fighter.
Early terrorism can be traced to the 1st century to the 11th century. There were sporadic attacks on enemies of these groups and collaborators. The Sicarii Zealots in the 1st century and the Al-Hashshashin in the 11th century killed their opponents for political reasons. In the modern sense, these two early terror groups cannot be described as terror groups since they carried out political assassinations and didn’t victimize noncombatant citizens in their quest. An early example of international terrorism was when European states between the 16th and 18th centuries, hired pirates to wage terror attacks in foreign seas for the purpose of advancing their own foreign policy objective (Alexander, 1992, p. 109). This is also an example of state funded terrorism on foreign nations. These were not officially recognized as acts of war since the governments that hired the orchestrators did not claim responsibilities for their actions. State funded terrorism is also a major part of international terrorism. States want to achieve their goals through proxy wars.
The assassination of the Austrian Archduke in Sarajevo in 1914 was a historical point in time. It is seen as an illustration of how terrorism has impacted on world history. This event sparked the World War 1. Terrorism was then, disorganized and carried out by small localized groups of people who were barely recognized as a sizable threat by governments and were not known by the public. There were also few civilian deaths associated with these attacks.
Another past example of international terrorism was attacks carried out by the Irish Republican Brotherhood. This was a nationalist group that advocated for the freedom of Ireland from Britain in the 19th century (English, 2008). It carried out attacks in England and is seen as the precursor of the Irish Republican Army. The first police unit known to have been formed to combat terror groups was from England. It was called the Special Branch formed from the London Metropolitan Police. It was in this period that an idea known as “propaganda of the deed” was coined in Europe. This concept advocated for the use of violence against political leaders and other public acts, to inspire mass insurrections and revolt (Graham, 2009). In the case of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, it was hoped that news of violence against Irish oppressors in England would inspire more people in Ireland to take part in the revolt against the British government. This case is also an example of how the term terrorist was used to mean various things. For the British government, this group was a terror group. For the Irish, the Brotherhood was a freedom fighter group. The Irish Republican Army that came into place in 1916 carried out widespread bombings in England on police stations and other facilities. This group was labeled a terror group by the British government but seen as a revolutionary group by the Irish people. Their bombings were effective in the end, forcing the British government to free Ireland from its rule. The IRA had nationalist motives for its terror attacks. It inspired other groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood which used Bombings in the 1940’s with the aim of expelling the British from Egypt (Lia & Al-Banna, 2006, p. 72).
Terrorism did not get organized and brutal before the end of the World War II. There were increased terror groups or so called, especially against the European colonial governments in the Third World. Perhaps due to their training and advanced knowledge of their colonial rulers, fighters that came back from the war fighting for their colonial masters, inspired widespread revolt against these foreign governments. In most places they defeated the colonial masters. During this period the freedom fighter groups were branded terror groups and members were captured and often killed while others were remanded without trial. This sparked even more violence. This is an instance where ‘one man’s terrorist, is another man’s freedom fighter’.
A characteristic of terrorism in the late 20th century were proxy wars. Some western governments such as the US and the UK funded and provided training to terror groups to advance their interests. Western governments that have launched present wars against terror groups in the Middle East, in an ironic turn of events, funded the same groups they are fighting in the 1980’s because they were fighting the Russians in Afghanistan (Craile, 2004, p. 29).
Present Day International Terrorism
Perhaps the most significant terror attack of the 21st century was the world trade centre bombings in New York, September 11th 2001. This attack by the Al Qaeda movement under the leadership of Osama Bin Laden, left almost 3000 people dead and many more injured. It had ripples all over the world with security measures being heightened around the world. In response to this attack, the US launched the War on Terror. American troops invaded Afghanistan in October of the same year barely a month after the attack. The aim was to depose the Taliban government which harbored the Al Qaeda terror group members. That war has lasted over ten years, leaving many more civilians dead as collateral damage and over 3000 American, British, NATO and other nations’ troops dead. That single attack on American soil sparked many more attacks around the world. The terrorism network has been growing, most with the objective of attacking American territory for the occupation of American troops in the Middle East
Other significant Terror attacks in the 21st century have been the Chechen attacks on Russian citizens. In 2002, a group of about 50 Chechens armed with guns and explosives took 850 people hostage in a Moscow theatre. They demanded that Moscow declare Chechnya free. The situation ended when the Russian Army pumped gas into the theatre causing everyone to fall asleep. This approach has been criticized since it resulted in the death of so many Russian citizens from gas inhalation. Almost all of the attackers were killed. Another group of Chechen rebels took hostage over 1600 children and adults in a school in Beslan. The ordeal left about 300 dead including 16 Russian soldiers and all the hostage takers. These terror attacks on Russia have resulted from the occupation of Chechnya by Russian forces. This has sparked disputes that have led to deaths of Chechens as well as Russians.
Asia has also experienced its share of terror attacks. In 2008, Mumbai India, Pakistani terrorists instigated attacks on various hotels through shootings and bombings. The attacks lasted three days and left about 175 people dead and over 300 injured. There have been other terror attacks in the 21st century such as the London subway bombings in 2005 which killed 56 people in London.
Conclusion
What is International Terrorism? There is no direct answer. There could be as many uses for this term as there are for terrorism. From analysis of historical and present descriptions of international terrorism, it is clear that various government and rulers have used the term to mean different things, often to manipulate the public’s view of certain group. Fear is a constant motive for terror groups around the world. Each group now carries out public attacks to inspire fear and prompt outcry to the nation’s government. It can be noted that terrorism has grown in might as well as complication and sophistication, as the world has developed economically and technologically. As technology has supported the growth of other aspects of human life, so has it assisted in growth of terror groups. Terror groups now use technology to form networks around the world. They use it to communicate and carry out transactions that fund terror activities. It was not a coincidence that terror groups became more sophisticated after the World War II. The rate of technological growth was high during the war and after the war; terror groups used this technology to attack their targets.
There has also been a continued evolution of terror groups from the early years when terror groups used crude methods to achieve their goals to presently, when technological sophistication is being used to form ‘better’ terror networks. In the 1980’s terror groups were forming associations with governments that supported their courses. Such governments included the Soviet Union, North Korea, Cuba and Libya (Edwards, 1988, p. 91). These countries harbored the terror groups, providing training, arms and often funding their activities abroad. This practice has diminished greatly with many governments fearing military invasion by international forces.
The war on terror is another aspect of International Terrorism. To a big extent, the war in the Middle East has succeeded in suppressing terror groups. Perhaps the most overlooked factor of this war has been the costs. The war has cost governments trillions of dollars. But the main cost is the human cost. The war has left over 8,800 American citizens dead in the 21st century alone (US Department of Defence, 2012). There are thousands of other dead people around the world as a result of terrorism.
Even though terrorism is not the top killer in the world, it is probably the most commonly feared practice around the world. It touches the lives of most of the world’s citizens. A lot of resources have in the past been used for it and against it. International terrorism is a global issue that requires the attention and dedication of all governments, to protect their citizens.
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