CRMJ 521 WEEK 1 DISCUSSION

Essentials of Terrorism: Concepts and Controversies

Defining Terrorism

Understanding Political Extremism

· Defining Extremism

· A radical expression of political values

· A precursor to terrorism

· The primary catalyst and motivation for terrorist behavior

· The World of the Extremist

· They set themselves apart as protectors of a truth/true heirs of a legacy

· They have a clear sense of mission, purpose, and righteousness

· They create a worldview that sets them apart from society

Formal and Informal Definitions

· A Sampling of Formal Definitions

· The effort to formally define terrorism is critical

· There is a range of definitions that vary amongs governments

· Defining Terrorism in the United States

· The U.S. has not adopted a single definition

· Reliance is based on the definitions that were developed by various agencies

· The common elements of varying definitions can be used to construct a definitional model

Objective and Goals of Terrorism

· Typical Objectives

· Changing the existing order

· Psychological disruption

· Social disruption

· Crating a revolutionary environment

· Playing to the Audience: Objectives, Victims, and Constituencies

· Terrorists adapt methods and targets to the characteristics of their championed group and their environment

· Examples of audiences:

· Politically apathetic people

· Government and their allies

· Potential supporters

· Confirmed supporters

Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?

· Perspective 1: Four Quotations

· “One person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter”

· “One man willing to throw away his life is enough to terrorize a thousand”

· “Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice”

· “It became necessary to destroy the town to save it”

· Perspective 2: Participants in a Terrorist Environment

· The terrorist

· The supporter

· The victim

· The target

· The onlooker

· The analyst

· Perspective 3: Terrorism or Freedom Fighting?

· In some perspectives, extremist beliefs and terrorist methods are logical and necessary, as well as rational and justifiable

The Political Violence Matrix

· Combatants, Noncombatants, and the Use of Force

· Definitional and ethical issues are not always clear when using the terms above