Chapter 21 Self-test questions

. What are the frameworks of analysis within which terrorism has been considered?

Competition between larger nations has resulted in some countries actively supporting terrorist groups to undermine the strength of rival states. Terrorist networks are extended patronage clubs maintained and paid for by their donor states and are conceptualized as being like state actors, to be dealt with using military force.

Globalization has enabled the internationalization of terrorist activities by opening up their operational space, although coordination is still managed from a geographical base. This suggests that terrorist groups are nationally structured which means that terrorism cannot be considered in terms of a war to be defeated militarily without having serious implications on the indigenous population.

Terrorism can be viewed as a problem to be resolved by military means (war on terrorism), by normal police techniques (terrorism as crime), or as a medical problem with underlying causes and symptoms (terrorism as disease).

Terrorism is viewed as a criminal problem. The criminalization of terrorism has two important implications. Firstly, it suggests that terrorism can be eradicated-terrorists can be caught and brought to trial by normal judicial proceedings thereby removing the threat from society-and secondly, it suggests that preventative crime techniques are applicable to prevent its development.

. Which statement is a commonly used definition of terrorism?

A terrorist attack is that which uses the threat or use of organized violence to achieve political objectives. This may include kidnappings and organized violence for financial gain, and such attacks can be undertaken by groups or individuals.

Terrorism involves the use or threat of violence. It is perpetrated by an organized group and used to achieve political objectives. The violence is directed against a wider target audience than its immediate victims, frequently civilians. While a government can be a perpetrator of violence or the target, it is only considered an act of terrorism if the other actor is not a government. Lastly, terrorism is a weapon of the weak.

Terrorist violence is a form of psychological warfare that generates fear in a target audience by attacking members of that group. Selected targets are chosen at random from a cross-section of groups within the state ranging from political representatives, security forces, civilians, or law enforcement. Random acts of violence contribute to the sense of insecurity and societal instability.

Terrorism is a broad concept that is understood to denote the threat or use of organized violence for the attainment of political objectives. The definition may therefore be inclusive of governments as targets or perpetrators and cases of war (hot and cold) where terror and counter-terror measures are tactics of either side.

. What techniques and targets belong to a workable definition of terrorism and terrorist concerns?

Suicide attacks have been employed by terrorists having the advantage of enabling detonation at the last minute or when casualties will be maximized. A potential future danger is that a suicide attack could be combined with the use of chemical, biological, or radiological weapons.

The ability to find vulnerable targets may be greater in democratic states since there are limitations on how much a government can monitor its citizen and will, in the event of an attack, generate more publicity. However, security forces in weak non-democratic countries also provide conditions conducive to terrorist activity, enabling relative freedom of operation and movement.

WMD have not been used very often, requiring high levels of resources and trained personnel for use. Furthermore, most terrorist groups still prefer to use more predictable methods for inflicting maximum casualties on the target. Yet to some extent, terrorist groups have gained a psychological edge because of the fear of use of WMD.

All of the above.

. How prevalent is terrorist activity?

Terrorism has always existed and continues to be as prevalent as before.

Statistics show that instances of domestic terrorism are decreasing.

Terrorism is the single gravest threat to international security in the contemporary world, and domestic and international terrorist attacks are responsible for a greater number of deaths in recent years than any form of military, conventional, or non-conventional warfare.

Terrorism has increased since the beginning of the 21st century.

. What are the types of terrorism? Are all groups the same?

Religious terrorism seems to be one of the hallmarks of the post-Cold War age. Religious terrorism is understood to denote the extremist activities of Islamic fundamentalism. Al-Qaeda is the most prominent example of religious terrorist groups and is described as globally operational, although religious terrorism is not limited to the al-Qaeda network. Christian beliefs were used to justify the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, as well as anti-abortionist assassinations in the USA.

Terrorist groups have drawn their ideas from ideologies. There was a wave of terrorist violence in Europe in the 1970s and 1980s rooted in various leftist and Marxist ideologies but these began to wane by the late 1980s. Right-wing groups are also present, often with overtly xenophobic and racist views, targeting migrants and foreign workers.

Groups defined by their ethnic or linguistic identifications are a broad category for the organization of terrorist groups. In some countries a large number of anti-colonial groups were ethnically based and used terrorist tactics in the wars of liberation. Such loyalties and tactics have in some cases proved immutable post-independence. Ethnic and linguistic affiliation has proved a powerful motivation for terrorist actions when combined with territory, and ethnic independence from another ethnic group.

All of the above are correct.

. Which of the factors below are causes of terrorism?

Poverty

Grievance

Mental illness

All of the above.

. What preventative security measures might a government take in defence of a potential future terrorist attack?

Prevention is normally associated with the concept of terrorism as war or crime. All governments will practise prevention by seeking to arrest or eliminate those actively involved in the violence.

Informers inside the terrorist groups can be key assets for the security forces for gathering intelligence. An intelligence coup greatly enhances the prospect of stopping terrorist operations once a group has been compromised.

Prevention can be attempted by securing the physical integrity of targets and key political installations, particularly weapons installations, national buildings, national or cultural symbols, or defence deployments.

All of the above.

. In what ways does the perspective on terrorism influence the response a government will take?

Within the disease prescription, reform packages become part of the government response to reduce the appeal of the terrorist group within the population. However, reforms may encourage terrorists to continue their violent activities because they are being rewarded. Under these conditions reforms may become concessions that fuel the violence rather than a mechanism for ending it. It is also clear that reforms may not eliminate the presence of terrorism.

Contemporary responses to terrorism have been taken within the context of the war on terror analogy, in which the norms of retaliation and punishment prevail. Implicit within this view is the justification for pre-emptive action taken against training facilities, headquarters, sources of funding, and even the assassination of key individuals.

Whilst the warfare analogy presumes deterrence at times, deterrence is more central to a justice system. The extent of pre-emption available in a normal criminal context is the detention of suspects or judicial harassment.

All of the above. Responses to terrorist attacks vary either explicitly or implicitly, if terrorism is seen as warfare, crime, or disease.

. What are the key implications of seeing terrorism as a crime?

Arrests will usually be proactive, seeking to eradicate terrorism.

Terrorism can only be contained, and policing will usually be reactive.

Arrests will usually be proactive, but terrorism can only be contained.

It is possible to eradicate terrorism, but arrests will often happen after an attack.

. Who is the target audience of terrorism?

Military institutions.

Governments, decision-makers, and politicians.

It depends; a terrorist group will pick their immediate targets specifically to influence an audience. The audience is usually a larger group of whom the victims of a terrorist attack are members.

The general population of a country.

Chapter 21 Self-test questions

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