Chapter 23 : The Globalization of Terrorism

All terrorist acts are crimes, but not all crimes are terrorist acts. What is the difference?

Crime TerrorismPersonal gratificationOften attacks targeted (because they have something you want)Not because of an idealMost try to avoid the media

Not for personal gainInnocent people are randomly affected (wrong place at wrong time)In support of or to advance a political goalAudience is important

What is meant by “terrorism as theatre”?

• Audience is beyond the victims• Spectacular events attract media attention• Psychological impact• It is a carefully staged & often well thought out act in

which the symbolism is very important• Publicize the existence of the cause• Broadcast a revolutionary message• Cause widespread fear and anxiety• Provoke a strong response in order to bring people to

their cause

• Global Village• The advent of satellite TV transmissions

allowed the viewing of live events from across the world in real time. 1968 Munich Olympics allowed the world to witness a terrorist attack by the PLO and the subsequent hostage drama involving the Israeli Olympic team.

Terrorism experts suggest that changing communications technology has fundamentally altered the nature of terrorism twice since the late 1960s.

What is the nature of these two technological changes? How has terrorism changed as a result? Why are these changes undesirable?

Terrorism experts suggest that changing communications technology has fundamentally altered the nature of terrorism twice since the late 1960s.

What is the nature of these two technological changes? How has terrorism changed as a result? Why are these changes undesirable?

• The rise of the internet in the 1990s , with its focus on the free exchange of information without censorship has provided an international audience for freedom movement, terrorist groups etc.. manifestos, bomb making how-to-manuals, videos of speeches, attacks, executions, can all be found quite easily on the internet.

This has attracted many disaffected individuals and has increased the ranks of many of these organizations.

• Abu Nidal Organization (ANO)• Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)• Al Jihad (AJ)• Al-Murabitoun• Al-Muwaqi'un Bil Dima• Al Qaida• Al Qaida in Iraq (AQI)• Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)• Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)• Al Shabaab• Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade (AAMB)• Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya (AGAI)• Al-Ittihad Al-Islam (AIAI)• Ansar al-Islam (AI)• Armed Islamic Group (GIA)• Asbat Al-Ansar (AAA) (The League of Partisans)• Aum Shinrikyo• Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC)• Babbar Khalsa International (BKI)• Boko Haram• Caucasus Emirate• Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN)• Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA)• Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC)• Gulbuddin Hekmatyar• Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Faction of the Hezb-e Islami, Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin (HIG)• Hamas (Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamiya) (Islamic Resistance Movement)• Haqqani Network• Harakat ul-Mudjahidin (HuM)• Hizballah

• International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy - Canada• International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF)• Islamic Army of Aden (IAA)• Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)• Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Qods Force• Jabhat Al-Nusra• Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)• Jemaah Islamiyyah (JI)• Kahane Chai (KACH)• Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)• Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ)• Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT)• Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)• Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa• Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)• Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)• Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC)• Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)• Sendero Luminoso (SL)• Taliban• Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)• Vanguards of Conquest (VOC)• World Tamil Movement (WTM)

Using specific examples, explain the difference between a freedom fighter and a terrorist. Why is it sometimes

difficult to make this distinction?

• It is a point of view question in many ways• Government under attack will call them

terrorists• The supporters of the attackers will see it as a

freedom issue• One suggestion is that freedom fighters target

exclusively government entities and avoid civilians

Menachem Begin

• Leader of Irgun – 1940 blew up the King David Hotel

• Leader of Israel – 1978 received the Nobel Peace Prize for signing peace accord with Egypt with Anwar Sadat

Menachem Begin

Yasser Arafat• Leader of Palestinian Liberation Organization – many terrorist

acts 70s – 80s

• Leader of the Palestinian Authority – 1994 Winner of Nobel Peace Prize (with Shimon Perez and Yitzhak Rabin)

Another determining factor is “who wins”

Nelson Mandela• 1988 – African National Congress – U.S. and

South African Government consider a terrorist organization

• 1993 – Nelson Mandela leader of ANC wins NPP

• 2001 – Nelson Mandela becomes honorary Canadian Citizen