Transcript Terrorism

World Issues 120
What is Terrorism?
1. In your opinion, what is the definition of
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terrorism?
Who are the people that commit terrorist
acts?
List as many terrorist acts as you can.
In your opinion, what are the goals
(objectives, hopes) of terrorists?
How effective do you think terrorists are in
achieving their objectives?
What should be done to counter terrorism?
Trouble with the definition?
 It is difficult to define because so much depends
on your point of view.
 “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom
fighter.”
Definition
 “criminal acts that
affect people
beyond the original
victim. The acts are
planned to obtain
great publicity,
choosing targets
that symbolize what
they oppose.”
 The effectiveness of
a terror act lies not
in the act itself, but
in the reaction of
the public and/or
the government.
Acts of Terror are:
 criminal acts that influence an audience beyond
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the immediate victim.
Are usually on civilian targets.
premeditated
Intended to create fear and disorder
Done to draw the attention of the local
populace, the government, and the world to
their cause.
Planned to obtain the greatest publicity
Often on targets that symbolize what the
terrorists oppose.
Where do terror attacks occur?
Causes of Terrorism
 Why do people commit acts of terror?
1. Geopolitical disputes
2. Economic systems that promote big
corporations over the needs of people
3. Nationalism
4. Religious/cultural conflicts
The Goal of Terrorism
The goal of the terrorist is to create
chaos and disorder –
it is out of the disorder that he hopes to instill
fear, discredit governments, demoralize
societies or alter national policies.
Types of Terrorism
1. Domestic
2. Nationalist
3. State-sponsored
4. Cyber-terrorism
Who are they?
 Anyone
 Educated/uneducated
 Religious/non-religious
 Rich/Poor
 Often feel desperate
 Feel that their cause is
more important than
laws and life
 Many see themselves
as freedom fighters
Domestic Terrorism
 Carried out against
people/groups
within a terrorist’s
own country.
 The terrorist
expects people to
change and/or leave
the area.
 Ex: Ku Klux Klan
 Oklahoma City
Bombing
Oklahoma City Bombing
 A domestic terrorist attack against the US
government
 1995 – a federal building in Oklahoma City
was bombed
 The bomb consisted of a rental truck filled
with 5000 pounds of fertilizer & diesel fuel.
 The truck was parked in front of the building
and tore of the entire face of it when it
exploded.
Oklahoma City Bombing
 168 dead (19
children) and over
800 injured.
 Until 9/11, it was the
deadliest attack on
US soil.
Why?
 Timothy McVeigh
planned and carried
out the attack.
 He was upset about the
way the government
handled the Waco
incident, and he hated
the government in
general.
McVeigh
 McVeigh was
sentenced to death
and executed by
lethal injection in
2001.
 He stated that his
only regret was not
completely levelling
the building.
Nationalist Terrorism
 Carried out when groups fight
governments for control of their
homeland.
 They see the government as a foreign
occupier that needs to be driven out for
the good of the people.
 Ex: the IRA in Ireland
Cyber-Terrorism
 Carried out when
threats and attacks
are made on
computers,
networks, and the
information stored
in them.
Cyber-Terrorism
 The aim is to steal
secrets, disrupt
banking and
businesses, and
make business
dealings more
difficult due to
increased security
measures.
State-Sponsored Terrorism
 As the name
implies, it is
terrorism against a
nation that is
supported by the
government of
another nation.
 This support may
take the form of
monetary support,
weapons supply,
training, and/or
specific instruction.
Common Tactics of Terrorists
 Agro-terrorism
 Insurgency
 Aircraft hijacking
 Kidnapping
 Bioterrorism
 Letter bomb
 Car bombing
 Piracy
 Dirty bomb
 Cyber terrorism
 Hostage-taking
 Improvised explosive
device
 Propaganda
 School shooting
 Suicide attack
 Rockets and mortars
Protection vs.
Privacy
 In response to terrorist threats, many
Western countries have increased security in
certain areas.
 Increased use of passports, airport security,
arrest procedures, gathering of information,
etc. Have all changed.
 This has led to great debates over the rights
of the individual vs. the rights of the state.
Terrorist Success
 Can you think of changes that have
happened in the world and in the lives of
ordinary people due to terrorist attacks?
Reactions to Terrorism
 Statements condemning their actions
 International cooperation to prevent terrorist
acts and punish terrorists
 Political or economic sanctions against the
region of their home base and/or the nations
supporting them
 Criminal prosecution
 Military action against the terrorists and their
supporters
Counterterrorism (counter-terrorism)
is the practices, tactics, techniques,
and strategies that governments,
militaries, police departments and
corporations adopt in response to
terrorist threats and/or acts.
The U.S. Counterterrorism Strategies
1. Heightened Security – bomb-sniffing dogs,
more police, public awareness, airport
security, video cameras…
2. Intelligence Gathering – Cooperating with
other agencies at home and world-wide to
compile information on known or suspected
terrorists ex. wire taps, surveillance
3. Border Control – security at all entries and
exits, No Fly lists
4. International Financial Cooperation -
following the trail of money used to finance
terrorist activities
5. Drone Missile Strikes - maintaining military
presence without full-scale commitment
6.
Extraordinary Renditions – Secret
abductions of suspected terrorists,
imprisoning them in a third country, and
interrogating them often through torture.
 Taken to « Dark Sites » - secret prisons
(Technically this is not supposed to be happening.)
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
 U.S. owned and operated prison facility used to house
and interrogate suspected terrorists
 use of torture, such as waterboarding has been allowed
 Rights to council and habeas corpus are suspended
 http://www.amnesty.org/en
 (Illegal detainees and torture)
7. Raids – on known terrorist bases and
training camps (U.S. will first support local
gov’ts to carry these out.)
8. Development Aid – Providing economic
opportunity to reduce the appeal of joining a
terrorist organization
What about Canada?
 Bill C-51 ~ Anti-terrorism Act, 2015
 “An Act to enact the Security of Canada Information
Sharing Act and the Secure Air Travel Act, to amend
the Criminal Code, the Canadian Security Intelligence
Service Act and the Immigration and Refugee
Protection Act and to make related and consequential
amendments to other Acts”
 “Through this legislation, our Government is taking
action to prevent terrorist travel, thwart efforts to use
Canada as a recruiting ground, and prevent planned
attacks on our soil.”
 Received Royal assent on June 18, 2015 which means
it’s now law.
 Rick’s Rant:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV17axjd9z0
Stopping the promotion of
terrorism
 Adds a tool for law enforcement to counter
radicalization.
 Allows for the removal of terrorist
propaganda from websites located in Canada.
 Improves witness protection
Preventing terrorists from
recruiting others
 Allowing the government to quickly identify
those with terrorist links and intentions.
 Also stops them from travelling by air for
terrorism purposes.
Disrupting terrorist plots
and preventing planned
attacks
 Makes it easier for police to detain suspected
terrorists before they can cause harm.
 Prevents non-citizens who pose a threat from
entering and remaining in Canada.
 Gives the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
(CSIS) the ability to intervene against specific
plots.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjWguJtGZII&no
html5=False
 At Issue with Peter Mansbridge:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awTUoh
BboF0
 Rex Murphy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHz6XW
jkDQA
 This Hour has 22 minutes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnG2qFk
wK8E
Research one of the following
terrorist organizations.
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Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso)
Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Falun Gong
Basque Fatherland and Liberty
Kurds (Kurdish Workers Party--PKK)
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
Hezbollah
Sikh Separatists
Tamil Tigers (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam--LTTE)
Zapatista National Liberation Army (Ejercito Zapatista de
Liberacion Nacional--EZLN)
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas
Rvolucionarias de Colombia-- FARC)
Abu Sayyaf
Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement)
Al Qaeda
Islamic State of Iraq (and Syria/the Levant) – ISIS/ISIL
Some Things to Look For…
1. Size
2. Leadership
3. Membership composition (rural, urban, male, female, young, old...)
4. Organizational structure (cells or cadres, contained within one nation or
global, a self-appointed?
5. Ideological background (Maoist, Marxist, other revolutionary movements,
writings of founder/leader...)
6. Targets (governments, urban vs. rural, rich vs. poor, foreigners...)
7. Methods (hostages, bombings, assassinations...)
8. Immediate goals (publicity, create a bargaining situation, provoke the
government into counter-terrorism, punish a guilty party, acquire land...)
9. Support (sympathy for the group from political parties, churches, or
others, any political support, assistance from other nations, other terrorist
groups, or international organizations...)
10. Results (accomplishment of goals, government repression,
condemnation by other nations and/or international organizations,
diminished influence or increased acceptance...)