What Is Terrorism?

[Hassan]

So that the other thread does not get sidetracked I thought it would be a good idea to open up this thread. The primary question being "what is terrorism"? But it could expand somewhat into questions such as whether or not terrorism is solely the province of NGO's or if states and governments can also be guilty of terrorism etc.

[Guest]

hasssan whats up lol

i expressed my opionon in the other thread probally more on the extreme side.

i think terrorism is anyone who sets out to injure or kill innocent lives.

[jckinsman]

[quote name='Delivery Boy' post='1748254' date='Jan 10 2009, 03:37 PM']hasssan whats up lol

i expressed my opionon in the other thread probally more on the extreme side.

i think terrorism is anyone who sets out to injure or kill innocent lives.[/quote]
[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism[/url]





Or it could be someone who sticks a bomb down their pants and blows everyone up.......or maybe it was my brother sneeking up on me in the middle of the night and screaming in my face to see if I'd wet the bed. Terror with a little 'ism on the end.

Edited January 10, 2009 by jckinsman

[Guest]

[quote name='jckinsman' post='1748262' date='Jan 10 2009, 04:44 PM'][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism[/url][/quote]

thank you looking now

[Hassan]

From the other thread

[quote name='HisChildForever' post='1747785' date='Jan 9 2009, 10:52 PM']But I am the one being vague, right?[/quote]
Yes, extremely. Before your below adaptation you simply pasted dictionary definitions which encompassed everything from Al-Quaida, French tribunals, Clowns and much in between. Of course my definition is vague, that has been my point throughout this thread, “terrorism” is an inherently vague term. It’s contemporary usage covers everything from transnational criminal organizations such as Al-Quaida to nationalist movements in Chechnya (and that is only from a western perspective). Saying “terrorists” are “lunatics” is as vague as saying “religion” is “stupid”.

[quote] This is a fundemental definition lacking what makes terrorism...well, terrorism. [b] Instilling fear or terror against civilian populations via attacks for the purpose of coercing them to a political end[/b] would be more precise.[/quote]
Is it the act of instilling fear that constitutes terrorism and the fact that this fear is intended to direct a population to a political end purely an incidental aspect that helps categorize this activity? Your adaptation of my definition would imply this. While you are free to “roll your eyes” even this after the fact attempt to present a coherent definition of what you mean by terrorism (or what any of us mean, I do not pretend to have an analytically precise coherent definition) has serious problem with it. Moreover what do you mean by “lunatic”? Do they have to have a diagnostically verifiable mental illness? If a Palestinian boy joins Hamas after his sister was groped at an Israel checkpoint or father was in the wrong place at the wrong time and killed by an Israeli airstrike would we say he is a “lunatic”? I certainly don’t think so. I’d say he was walking down a self destructive path unlikely either to avenge the wrongs inflicted against his family or prevent such incidents from happening in the future, but I wouldn’t say he was insane. There actually have been numerous sociological, psychological, and statistical studies of terrorism and it’s support. Not simply terrorism by Muslim groups but wide ranging investigations from the Russian anarchist movements to Hezbollah, I have yet to read one which concludes that “terrorists are lunatics”. The reason I persist with this is because your sentiment is shared by many people. Yet such sweeping platitudes are rarely critically examined. For one such generalizations hide the fact that many terrorist organizations are expressing real, legitimate grievances through illegitimate ends. Terrorism is often crafted precisely as a means of bringing media attention to just such grievances (though it rarely works given how episodic the news is). While legitimizing such terrorist organizations is wrong, when they are universally dismissed as “lunatics” the legitimate grievences which often fuels their popular support rarely get’s addressed, the larger population still suffers, and more young men and women are likely to follow the path of terrorism.

[kujo]

Terrorism is defined by most scholars as the use of political violence (or the threat of violence) by groups or individuals who deliberately target civilians of noncombatants in order to influence the behavior and actions of targeted publics and governments.

Our Defense Department defines terrorism as "the unlawful use of--or threatened use of-- force or violence against individuals or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies, often to achieve political, ideological or religious objectives."

The FBI differentiates between domestic terrorism (the unlawful use, or threatened use, of violence by a group or individual based and operating entirely within the US or its territories...committed against persons or property, to intimidate or coerce a government, a civilian population or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives) and international terrorism (violent acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the US or any state, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the US or any state; they are intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of the government or affect the conduct of the government; these acts transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the person they intended to intimidate or the locale in which the perpetrators operate).

The State Department has adopted a definition resembling Title 22 of the United States Code, Section 2656f(d):

[quote]Terrorism means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, and is usually intended to influence and audience.

"International terrorism" means terrorism involving citizens or the territory of more than one country.[/quote]

[KnightofChrist]

Cats.

[kujo]

[quote name='KnightofChrist' post='1748280' date='Jan 10 2009, 05:34 PM']Cats.[/quote]

LAWLLLL

[jckinsman]

[quote name='KnightofChrist' post='1748280' date='Jan 10 2009, 04:34 PM']Cats.[/quote]
You mean cats with bombs in their underwear.

[CatherineM]

Doing something that is intended to cause terror. As a baby sister of 5 boys, I understand a bit about what can terrorize a child. I think today we tend to only think of it in regards to instilling terror for political purposes.

[Hassan]

[quote name='KnightofChrist' post='1748280' date='Jan 10 2009, 05:34 PM']Cats.[/quote]

You take that back [size=6]THIS MOMENT>([/size]


How [size=6]DARE YOU[/size]







I, and all the kitties I represent, are deeply offended

[Hilde]

I've always looked at it as gaining power through fear. I'm not sure of the technical definition, but it smells of elderberries either way.

But cats don't smell of elderberries.

Edit: lol, I'm being censored.

Edited January 11, 2009 by Hilde

[Winchester]

Terrorism is a red herring.

[add]

Terror is fear
A terrorist is an instrument of fear
Terrorism is not a person place or thing

[quote]The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.
FDR’s First Inaugural Address, 1932[/quote]

[Winchester]

Rather than traditional means of warfare--that is attacking military targets, terrorism attacks civilians in order to achieve its objectives. It is not comparable to guerilla warfare, in which small units attack legitimate military objectives. In this, it is a crime. Terrorism is not honorable and the perpetrators are criminals, not soldiers.