G E O R G E S T E P H E N

DEFINING TERRORISM

HISTORY OF TERRORISM

• The history of terrorism is as old as humans' willingness to use violence to affect politics and has existed for thousands of years.

• The Sicarri were a 1st century Jewish group The Hashhashin, whose name gave us the English word "assassins," were a secretive Islamic sect active in Syria and Iran from 11th to 13th century

• It was defined for the first time after the French Revolution in the Reign of Terror (1793 – 1974)

• Instigated by Maxmilien Robespierre in 1793, Which beheaded 20,000 – 40, 000 people

He justified his methods as necessary in the transformation of the monarchy to a liberal democracy.

CONTEMPORARY TERRORISM

• characterized with the fading of terrorism as a state action, while the idea of terrorism as an attack against an existing political order became more prominent.

Beginning from the 1950s and fueled by• ethnic nationalism (e.g. Irish, Basque, Zionist)• anti-colonial sentiments in the vast British, French and

other empires• new ideologies such as communism.

NEW VERSUS OLD TERRORISM

• Old terrorism: Used to refer to more secular groups before 1990 and end of the Cold War.

• New Terrorism: a new kind of terrorism believed to have begun with the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing and dominated by religious doctrines that emphasize transformational and apocalyptic beliefs

GOALSOld Terrorism: Limited, specific, tangible, local oriented goals. nationalist, independent movements, separatists. Understandable, comprehensible, realistic, rational and prone to compromise.New Terrorism: goals can be ambiguous, implausible or unrealistic, seeking maximum destruction, having transnational, regional and systematic ambitions

METHODS• Old Terrorism: limited in methods, selective, restrained,

specific, they see terrorism as a refined instrument, want to be involved in the political process, they do not want to go to far.

• New Terrorism: the means they are willing to use is unlimited, highly indiscriminate in their use of violence, attracted to the use of weapons of mass destruction

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE• Old Terrorism: highly centralized, hierarchical chain of

command, professional revolutionaries, some were state sponsored.

• New Terrorism: a network, decentralized, proceeds largely by inspiration, amateurs, independent of state.

DEFINING TERRORISM

There is neither an academic nor an international legal consensus regarding the definition of the term terrorism, in political science and among politicians, among scholars and in the media. Various legal systems and government agencies use different definitions.

CHARACTERISTICS• Use of violence or threat of violence• Politically motivated• Perpetrated by subnational groups• Targets civilians or non-combatants

PROBLEMS

• violence can be used in self-defense and self-protection• wars are all politically motivated• Can’t nations terrorize? Does it have to be sub-

national?

COMMON FACTORS

• The desire for vengeance• To provoke reaction (shock/awe effect)• Feeling of justification

PROBLEMS

“Are terrorist acts ever morally justified?”Its murder, plain and simpleNot most times, but occasionally

• A former Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) leader, Martin McGuinness who became Deputy First Minister claims he was never a terrorist but a freedom fighter.

• In 1987, Margaret Thatcher called Mandela’s ANC a “typical terrorist organization”

•The 9/11 attack on the World Trade center about 3000 people died•The US bombing of Afghanistan about 15000 people died.Rebels claim frequently to be victims of government terror.

• “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”

THE IMPASSE

• In September 2005, world leaders met at the UN to finally adopt a definition of the term “Terrorism”. One that would cover the entire concept.

• After 2 days the summit ended without agreeing upon a definition.

• The definitional impasse has prevented the adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

• prime reason is the standoff with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Seen as the Western versus the Islamic world.

• They believe there has to be an exception to the definition for those people who are struggling legitimately against colonial powers.

UN PLAN B

ANTI-TERRORISM CONVENTIONS• Start defining crimes that the whole world could agree were

illegal and unjustified under any circumstances.Type of Crimes

• Convention on hostage taking• Convention on hijacking• Convention on airport and airplane sabotage• Convention on use of explosives on civilians•Type of victims: Internationally protected personsThey have carved out an area of terrorism which the world has agreed on, that are unjustifiable under any circumstance, criminal and must be prosecuted.

CONCLUSION

• There is no accepted consensus on the definition of Terrorism

• It is an ancient behavioral tactic used by discontented groups and individuals

• The term is often used pejoratively and is a matter of perspective

• The term is used to demonize, suggesting that the groups or individual is beyond reasoning

• The resolutions provides a Saving’s Clause which preserves the rights of persons to “struggle legitimately” for self determination.

• The conventions doesn’t include a wide range of terror tactics.