Understanding Terrorism: Threats, Definitions, and Responses
The Threat of International Terrorism
- Very unlikely, not massively consequential.
- Suggested to even ignore it completely, go about daily lives as usual; to do otherwise would give in to the terrorist goal to provoke and strike fear.
- Despite this, the threat of terrorism – or its perception – thus owes itself far more to the subjective emotions and fear of politics and uncertainty – particularly by citizens of the developed world.
- Fears can be amplified and preyed on by terrorists and the media, creating an ‘echo-chamber’.
This distinction will also be made between domestic and international requirements for a single legal definition. It will be argued that these two spheres are not wholly severable from each other, notwithstanding the fact that the geopolitical factors making the quest for an internationally agreed definition of terrorism almost impossible do not necessarily play out in national politics. A common theme recurring in these various disciplines regarding the definition of terrorism is the key role that the labeller plays in identifying who or what is a terrorist and the delegitimizing effect that this categorization has.
Defining Terrorism: Key Aspects
The first aspect of terrorism is the method or tactics. Violent acts must be involved for an action to qualify as terrorism. 95% of all terrorist incidents include bombings, assassinations, armed assaults, kidnappings, barricade hostage situations, and hijackings.
The second aspect is the nature of the terrorists themselves. While states could be argued to be terrorists, most definitions stress non-state actors as terrorists. This stems from the idea that terrorism is usually a method used by non-state actors to coerce states into following their demands.
However, what about state-sponsored terrorism? Or instances where the state is actively involved? E.g., allowing death squads to exist, which occurs in some parts of South America. Is that terrorism? Or merely counterterrorism?
The third aspect is the nature of the targets, who are usually civilians. There is some technical debate in this case – what is a civilian? What if you’re part of the military establishment, but off duty?
Finally, the definitions incorporate the motivations and objectives of terrorists into their definitions.
For the most part, definitions indicate that they simply state that the objective is to generate fear on the part of the target. Overall then, most definitions of terrorism tend to incorporate these core elements: organized and premeditated violence against people in order to sow fear or terror for the purposes of gaining political or criminal objectives. A number of definitions also mention the targeting of innocent victims (i.e., civilians) in order to influence a broader audience or attract attention (i.e., a form of ‘political theatre’). However, each of these factors can be interpreted to produce a specific definition of terrorism, which has often been the case over the years.
Major Responses to Terrorism
Counterterrorism measures can fit into Sederberg’s threefold typology on how to view terrorists.
Terrorism can be seen as:
- War: Terrorists are an enemy to be defeated.
- Crime: Deal with it using normal police measures reactively.
- Disease: It has underlying causes and symptoms.
War Conceptualization
- Retaliation and punishment become the norms.
- Stronger pre-emptive response – on facilities or headquarters.
- Assassination of key individuals.
- Decapitation is successful, usually (Price) but can sometimes worsen the situation, causing stronger backlash (Cronin).
Crime Conceptualization
- Arrest, capture, trial, incarceration.
- Deter action by demonstrating that criminals will be caught and punished.
Disease Conceptualization
- Terrorist violence dealt with as a symptom of a greater problem.
- Dealing with long-term, underlying causes.
- Reform packages may be introduced to reduce the appeal of terrorism.
- Ethnic discrimination will be forbidden if suspected to be the underlying source.
- If poverty is thought to be the cause, government programs to reduce poverty will be introduced.