Terrorism
was brought to life by international movements fighting for independence and
self-being. This extreme mean of portraying political dogma evolved on
unprecedented scale, nowadays it is almost unstoppable. The act of 11th
of September 2001 crossed the line of cruelness and ruthlessness. The world
tries to fight it – it is a ‘formidable challenge’ for every government.
Terrorism is meant to shatter people’s hope, to break the will, to intimidate
and finally to destroy it. All along the history the terrorism was wearing
different disguises, this revolutionary movement fought against political and
economic injustice, exploitative yoke of colonial oppression. It was marked among
ethnic and religious minorities which wanted to exist independently,
self-sufficiently and secede from unwanted communities they found themselves
in. Terror evolved and began to be an instrument of oppression to paralyze
opposition. The acts of terrorism are always
violent, as the technology developed, terrorists were empowered by daggers,
guns, bombs to kill and to destroy the enemy. Terrorists call themselves –
freedom fighters. Yasir Arafat the former head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, once said: “ (…) The difference between a revolutionary and a
terrorist lies in the reason for which each fights (…) for whoever stands by a
just cause and fights for freedom and liberation of his land from invaders
cannot possibly be called a terrorist (…)”. The study
of political violence often resort to the common phrase “(…) One man’s
terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter (…)”.
The
notions of terrorism differs, yet, most of them stands for the same, let’s look
just at some of them to bring this notion closer:
“(…) An
action of violence is labeled terrorist when its psychological effects are out
of proportion to its purely physical result (…)”
“(…)
Terrorism can be used to create an atmosphere of despair or fear, to shake the
faith of ordinary citizens, in their government and its representatives (…)”
“(…)
Terrorism can be defined as systematic and organized violence against
non-resisting persons to create fear in them for the purpose of retaining or
gaining governmental authority (…)”
Terrorism
uses violence not just to destroy properties or take life but also to inspire
terror in people other than its primary victims. Terrorists generate fear that
no one is safe, undermining people’s faith in their government’s abilities to
protect citizens, thus they sustain the atmosphere of insecurity and
instability. Terrorism is tactic, employs people who feel they do not have
enough power to challenge those whom they perceive to be their enemy. Unlike guerilla
warriors, terrorists do not seek to conquer and hold territory, they content
themselves with sporadic acts, hoping to inspire more extensive forms of
political violence at a later date.
Terrorism needs
publicity to survive, to achieve a goal of generating widespread anxiety and
instability, the act of terror must be broadcast to the large number of
people. It has to be loud! For that reason terrorists frequently choose targets
that have symbolic significance to guarantee maximum media coverage. Moreover,
terrorists carefully calculate their acts to win the maximum amount of
publicity of their cause.
Bear in mind, a single act of terrorism can now claim thousands of lives, making dispassionate understanding of why some people resort to its methods more important than ever.
Bibliography:
- Wisnewski, J. Jeremy, ed. (18
December 2008). Torture, Terrorism, and the Use of
Violence (also available as Review Journal of Political Philosophy Volume
6, Issue Number 1). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
p. 175. ISBN 978-1-4438-0291-8.
- Stevenson, ed. by Angus (2010).
- White, Jonathan R. (1 January
2016). Terrorism and Homeland Security. Cengage Learning. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-305-63377-3.
- "The Illusion of
War: Is Terrorism a Criminal Act or an Act of War? – Mackenzie
Institute". Mackenzie Institute. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
- Ronald Reagan, speech to National Conservative Political Action
Conference Archived 20 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine. 8 March 1985.
- Chaliand, Gerard. The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to
al Qaeda. Berkeley: University
of California Press, 2007.
- Irish Freedom, by Richard English Publisher: Pan Books
- Mousseau, Michael (2002).
"Market Civilization and its Clash with Terror". International Security
- Mark Aarons (2007). "Justice
Betrayed: Post-1945 Responses to Genocide."
In David A. Blumenthal and Timothy L. H. McCormack (eds). The Legacy of
- Cronin, Audrey Kurth (2009). How Terrorism Ends:
Understanding the Decline and Demise of Terrorist Campaigns. Princeton U. Pr. ISBN 978-0-691-13948-7.
Komentarze
Prześlij komentarz