Real Face of Terrorism
Terrorism in the Webster's New American Dictionary is defined as "the systematic use of intense fear as a means of coercion." In this day and age, the term terrorism is more than just the use of intense fear as a means of coercion but includes the use of terrorism as a means of revenge and pure sport and also as a means of suppression. While the dictionaries definitions says that it is the use coercion to promote certain ideologies, some of the most cleverly hidden terrorism today is the terrorism used to suppress some ideologies or certain ethnic groups or societies. The popular image of terrorism is of extremist groups trying to rebel or promote their ideologies by blowing up airplanes, buses, government buildings, or taking hostages. By defining terrorism thoroughly, we can begin to look at what terrorism is really about. The use of terror is usually a tool to promote ideologies according to the dictionary but what about the use of terror for revenge? After the Serb withdrawal from Kosovo this past month, there was a rash of terrorist acts committed by Albanians against Serbs. The Serb civilian population of Kosovo was not a threat to the Albanians but the violence against them was not one of coercion but of revenge. The
What can motivate someone to strap bombs on their bodies and blow themselves and others to make a statement? To understand this motivation, we have to look at the conditions the terrorist lives under. In this age, terrorism has been the label given to the sub-national groups or non-state entities that have used terror to commercialize their ideologies, still, what about the terrorism perpetuated by states and governments? Hoffman's definiton of terrorism begins to describe modern terrorism accurately but then he limits it to violence committed by sub-national group or non-state entities. hostage crisis at the American embassy in Teheran twenty years ago was another example of terrorism based on revenge. Terrorism is also violent revenge against certain political or social movements. An example of rebelling against a certain idea would be the Palestinian group, Hamas, and its violence against Israel over the peace process they are against. Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, said that "terrorism could be defined as committing of various violent illegal acts which physically or mentally harm the well being of an individual or group of people with the aims of promoting a political or religious ideology". Israel's actions can be logically equated to being terrorism which leads to the question of whether American foreign policy is also a form of terrorism or not. If terrorism is to enact or threaten violence designed to have far-reaching psychological repercussion beyond the intended victim, then why aren't the economic sanctions against Iraq considered terrorism? Is it because they are sanctions endorsed by the British and American governments and they are not the form of terrorism or is it because the sanctions are not the work of non-state entities. Terrorism is not just coercion, but it also revenge. This example of terrorism is different, however, than the other more common form of terrorism which is political terrorism. Terrorism is a heinous crime, and there must be no excuse or exception in bringing its perpetrators to justice. Terrorism, in my view, is the use of violence meant to enforce a certain political ideology or to rebel against another. Hoffman is claiming that terrorism is perpetuated by non-state or sub-national groups but America's action in Iraq fits the profile Hoffman describes. The G7 (the world's most powerful countries) signed a declaration in 1996, which clearly states; "We reaffirm our absolute condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, regardless of its perpetrators or motives. Merely the Kurdish Workers' Party wanted to punish the Turks and incite violence in order to achieve its own goals.
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