Intro to Terrorism

Definitions Many Ambiguous Are terrorists “freedom fighters”? Matter of perception? What is the relationship between

insurgency and terrorism? Are all insurgents terrorists? Are all terrorists insurgents?

AW/UW, 4GW and terrorism

Certain aspects are fundamental Political act

Desire for political change Terrorism is typically non-state in character

▪ (Note the separate but related topic of state terrorism, for whom political change is usually not desired)

▪ States can terrorize, but they are not terrorists. Terrorists do not abide by norms

▪ They target innocents▪ They seek psychological trauma

1. The demonstrative use of violence against human beings;2. The threat of (further) violence;3. The deliberate production of terror/fear/dread/anxiety in a

target group;4. The frequent targeting of civilians, non-combatants, and

innocents;5. The purpose of intimidation, coercion, and/or

propaganda;6. The fact that it is a method, tactic, or strategy of conflict

waging;7. The importance of communicating the act(s) of violence

to a larger audience;8. The illegal, criminal, and immoral nature of the act(s) of

violence;9. The predominantly political character of the act;10. Its use as a tool of psychological warfare.A. P. Schmid (2005). ‘Terrorism as Psychological Warfare,’ Democracy and Security, Vol.1, No.2, p. 140.

• Vision• Power• Ideology• Duty• Self-sacrifice• Strategy• Tactics• Will to kill• Skill to kill

• Indoctrination• Radicalization• Rationalization• Moral Disengagement• Facilitators/Causes• Enabling Environment• Learning Organization• Counter vs. Anti• Hard/Soft Power

Primary Types

Left-wing Right Wing Ethno-nationalist (separatist) Religious

Driven by liberal or idealist political concepts

Prefer revolutionary anti-authoritarian anti-materialist agendas

Typically target elites who symbolize authority

Examples Red Brigades (Italy) Red Army Faction (Baader Meinhof Gang)

(Germany) MRTA (Tupac Amaru movement) (Peru) Sendero Luminoso (Peru) Weather Underground (United States)

Often target race and ethnicity Examples

Christian identity USA Creativity movement USA Combat 18 England Ku Klux KlanNeo ConfederatesNeoNazismSilent Brotherhood White Aryan Resistance (WAR) USA World Church of the Creator

Aryan Republican Army USA Aryan Nations USA The Boeremag South Africa The Aryan Republican Army SkinheadsNeo-Nazi Skinheads American Nazi Party USANational Alliance USA National Association for the Advancement of White People (NAAWP) USA

Usually have clear territorial objectives Liberation/separation Popular support usually along ethnic/racial

lines. Examples

ETA (Basque Separatists) Irish Republican Army Lashkar-e Taiba (& other Kashmir groups) Moro Islamic Liberation Front Tamil Tigers (LTTE)

Largest category of groups today

• Examples

HizballahLEHI, Stern Gang and Zvi Irgun (Jewish extremists)Al QaidaJemaah IslamiyaAum ShinrikyoEgyptian Islamic JihadAQ in the Islamic Maghreb

Algerian GIA and GSPCSyrian Muslim BrotherhoodHizb ut-TahrirAl Qaeda in IraqIslamic Movement of UzbekistanChristian IdentityThe Sword, Covenant & Arm of the Lord

NCTC database: http://www.nctc.gov/site/groups/index.html

START: http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data_collections/tops/

Carlos Marighella (1969). Mini-Manual of the Urban Guerrilla, online at: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marighella-carlos/1969/06/minimanual-urban-guerrilla/index.htm

Al Qaeda "Training Manual": http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/manualpart1_1.pdf

Defining terrorism: not as easy as some might assume Different organizations within the U.S. government

have different definitions of terrorism Lack of international consensus on definition

There is no real ‘profile’ of a terrorist.

Potentially anyone can be radicalized, indoctrinated, taught why and how to murder others in pursuit of some broader vision Vision matters; articulated in ideology