what is terrorism? what is terrorism? what are the social and political effects of terrorism? what...
TRANSCRIPT
Terrorism and State Terrorism
Key questions
What is terrorism?
What are the social and political effects of terrorism?
Why do non-state groups choose terrorism as a form of political action?
Why do states use terrorism?
Plan of Today’s Lecture
Definitions: What is terrorism?
Non-state terrorist groups and their aims
Who gets labelled a terrorist? Who doesn’t?
The efficacy of terrorism
State-sponsored terrorism
I. Definitions
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The State
“The state is an entity which claims a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence.” (Max Weber)
Terrorism
Rejects the notion that only states can legitimately use violence.
Is the use of violence to achieve political objectives
Different from other forms of violence because it’s never aimed just at the people it harms
Designed to have far-reaching psychological effects
How did the WTC bombings meet these
criteria?
Media as Force Multiplier
Terrorist attacks are designed to gain maximum publicity.
Media coverage amplifies psychological effect.
Media as a Force MultiplierTargets are often
symbolic or iconic: the goal is to gain attention for a cause and destroy what the target stands for, not to eliminate the object itself.
Example: The Pentagon
A tool of non-state actors
Terrorism is often a tool of non-state groups who do not control armies or vast armories.
It is cost-effective violence for small groups.
Sendoro Luminoso
The Dolphinarium Bombing
II. Terrorist groups and their aims
FARC: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
Al-Qaeda
Hamas
Hezbollah
Non-state groups that use terrorism:
Islamic Non-IslamicETA
Red Brigades
FARC
Shining Path
KKK
Weather Underground
How are they formed?Often formed in
refugee camps
Can be organized around religion or political ideology (eg Marxism, nationalism)
Soldier in a FARC poppy field
FundingNarcotics
Remittances
Natural resources
Covert State Funding
Soldier in a FARC poppy field
III. Labelling TerroristsTerrorism is a technique, not a
property intrinsic to groups.
The label “terrorist” is meant to label some people’s use of violence illegitimate (while others’ use of violence is made legitimate.)
States often label non-state groups terrorists, while claiming their own violent action is an acceptable use of force.
The label itself is a political tool.
US has put Hamas on official list of terrorist groups.
Hamas is now the democratically elected government of the Gaza Strip.
Should the US be willing to have diplomatic relations?
Labelling TerroristsHamas
Controversy
III. The Efficacy of Terrorism
British soldiers in Afghanistan
What do terrorists gain?Can create chaos and discord in
society
Can weaken political institutions
Can force the state to incur huge costs to prevent terrorismPoliceIntelligenceDisaster preparednessUS wars in Afghanistan and Iraq=$4
trillion
But….Often creates citizen
support for the state
Can strengthen the resolve of target governments
Fosters a powerful backlash against the non-state groupArab Spring and the
irrelevance of al-Qaeda.
IV. State Terrorism
What is state terrorism?The attempt by a state to use violence
against civilians to win political conflict with non-state groups.
Practiced byauthoritarian states and in breakaway regions.
Can be state-sponsored terrorism against third countries
Example: Libya and the Lockerbie bombing
State terrorism in Chechnya
Chechen Conflict1700s—absorbed into Russian empire
1930s—Stalinist purges kill many
1944—entire Chechen population deported
1957—allowed to return
1992—Chechen declaration of independence
1994 and 1999—Chechen wars
Today—ongoing kidnappings and shootings
Natalya Estimirova
Take-Home Points
Terrorism is a political tool
It can be used by both state and non-state actors
The monopoly of legitimate violence is being challenged in the post Cold War World.