Terrorism Notes
1. Defining terrorism
a. Institutional definitions
i. British: The use of violence for political ends includes the use of violence to put the public, or any part of society in fear ii. EU Interior: The use or threatened use by a cohesive ministers group- a violence short of warfare (excludes states) iii. US State Department: Any violence perpetrated for political reasons by sub-national groups or secret state agents, open directed at non-combatants to influence a target audience iv. US Criminal Code: Any activity that involves criminal violence that appears to be intended to:
1. Intimidate or coheres a civilian population
2. Influence a state government policy by intimidation or coheresion
3. Affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping
v. US Department of Defense: Unlawful use or threatened use of violence against an individual or property to coheres or intimidate governments or societies: Often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives vi. Yassar Arafat: The difference between the revolutionary and the terrorist is the reason why he fights and whoever stands by a just cause, cannot be a terrorist
b. Agreed properties of definitions
i. Political violence/threat to induce fear and political change ii. Typically at civilians or against humanitarian norms
2. History of Terrorism
a. Groups
i. Zealots (40 BC-70AD): A Jewish religious group who believed Rome was holding back the Jewish religion, and only through an independent Jewish state can the religion advance. They attacked civilian rulers and Roman generals. ii. Assassins (1090 AD- 1275AD) (Source of the word assassinate) A group of Shiite radicals who killed Sunni, Jewish, and Christian leaders iii. Thugi (1300’s) (Source of the word thug) Worshipped the god Kahli, would stop pilgrims in groups of 1-5 and tried to get the to join their cause, if they didn’t, they were killed.
b. Terrorism (Source of the word)
i. First used in French Revolution
1.
a. Institutional definitions
i. British: The use of violence for political ends includes the use of violence to put the public, or any part of society in fear ii. EU Interior: The use or threatened use by a cohesive ministers group- a violence short of warfare (excludes states) iii. US State Department: Any violence perpetrated for political reasons by sub-national groups or secret state agents, open directed at non-combatants to influence a target audience iv. US Criminal Code: Any activity that involves criminal violence that appears to be intended to:
1. Intimidate or coheres a civilian population
2. Influence a state government policy by intimidation or coheresion
3. Affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping
v. US Department of Defense: Unlawful use or threatened use of violence against an individual or property to coheres or intimidate governments or societies: Often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives vi. Yassar Arafat: The difference between the revolutionary and the terrorist is the reason why he fights and whoever stands by a just cause, cannot be a terrorist
b. Agreed properties of definitions
i. Political violence/threat to induce fear and political change ii. Typically at civilians or against humanitarian norms
2. History of Terrorism
a. Groups
i. Zealots (40 BC-70AD): A Jewish religious group who believed Rome was holding back the Jewish religion, and only through an independent Jewish state can the religion advance. They attacked civilian rulers and Roman generals. ii. Assassins (1090 AD- 1275AD) (Source of the word assassinate) A group of Shiite radicals who killed Sunni, Jewish, and Christian leaders iii. Thugi (1300’s) (Source of the word thug) Worshipped the god Kahli, would stop pilgrims in groups of 1-5 and tried to get the to join their cause, if they didn’t, they were killed.
b. Terrorism (Source of the word)
i. First used in French Revolution
1.