Since time immemorial, “terrorism” has existed but there is no single statement that clearly defines it. As Charles Tilly (2004) has aptly said, “terrorism sprawls across a wide range of human cruelties.” The term initially entered the Western consciousness in relation to state-organized violence and repression and, to describe the actions of French revolutionaries against their domestic enemies in 1793 and 1794 (Shariatmadari, 2015). During what became known as the Reign of Terror, the newly formed French government legally executed as many as 17,000 people, and it was estimated that another 23,000 were illegally executed (Jean-Baptiste and Edgeworth, 1955). In subsequent years, terrorism was a tactic used by dictators such as Adolf Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot. The same tactic was also adopted by non-state actors, such as the Irish Republican Army, Basque separatists, and the Palestinian Liberation Organization against government forces and the public at large.
Although there have been many attempts by scholars and policymakers to provide a universal consensus, they have been unsuccessful due to differing opinions of what constitutes terror and violence. Schmid and Jongman (1988) have counted as many as 109 different definitions. Terrorism scholar Walter Lacquer (1987) also encountered over 100 definitions and concluded that the “only general characteristic generally agreed on is that terrorism involves violence and the threat of violence.”
Jean-Baptiste, C. and Edgeworth, H. (1955). Journal of the Terror. London: Folio Society
Lacquer, W. (1987). The age of terrorism. 2nd ed. Boston: Little Brown.
Schmid A. and Jongman, A. (1988) Political terrorism: A new guide to actors, authors, concepts, databases, theories, and literature. Amsterdam: Transaction Books.
Shariatmadari, D. (2015). Is it time to stop using the word ‘terrorist’? Guardian. Retrieved on April 30, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/global/commentisfree/2015/jan/27/is-it-time-to-stop-using-the-word-terrorist
Tilly, C. (2004). Terror, terrorism, terrorists. Sociological Theory. 22 (1), pp. 5-13.
Terrorism can be defined as the use of violent actions to further a goal of a group of people at the expense of the population as a whole. Terrorism is generally caused by political, religious, and socioeconomic factors.
There are several examples that can be used to support this statement. In 1914, a group of Serbian nationalists carried out a plot to kill Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. These nationalists believed that Serbians should rule Serbian people. There were many Serbians living in Austria-Hungary, and Austria-Hungary wasn’t going to give land to Serbia to satisfy the demands of these nationalists. As a result, they hoped that by killing the future emperor of Austria-Hungary their demands would be met, allowing Serbians to be ruled by Serbians.
Recently, there have been many terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists. These people believe that they are acting in the name of G—d and will be rewarded in the world to come by carrying out these attacks. There have been many terroristic attacks against Israel by Islamic radicals who believe that Muslims should rule Israel’s land. Americans have become targets because the United States has supported Israel and because the American government has actively fought the terrorist groups that exist in various parts of the world. The terrorists have responded by attacking innocent people by bombing buildings or crashing trucks into large groups of people in an attempt to accomplish their goals.
In some cases, terrorists have struck because they believed that their group or their country has been exploited by another group of people. These terrorists often are very poor and live in conditions that offer them little hope for a better future. Many people in the Middle East live in extreme poverty despite the presence of large amounts of oil in the region. By carrying out a terrorist attack, these people may be paid large sums of money. They also hope their actions will lead to the removal of foreigners whom they blame for their poverty.
http://handofreason.com/2011/featured/causes-of-terrorism
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-causes-of-terrorism-3209053
No comments:
Post a Comment