Terrorism 2

Read the articles below regarding the relationship between ideology and target selection and answer the questions that follow.

• Austin L.      Wright, Terrorism,      Ideology and Target Selection.
• Max      Abrahms, Matthew Ward, and Ryan Kennedy, Explaining      Civilian Attacks: Terrorist Networks, Principal-Agent Problems, and Target      Selection.

Instructions

Answer each of the following questions after you’ve read the listed articles. Each question will require a short essay response based on the reading material.

1. According      to Abrahms, et al., process goals compete with outcome goals among      principal and agent terrorist organizations. Explain a principal terrorist      organization and an agent terrorist organization. Give examples. In your      view, which type of terrorist organization wields the most power to      achieve its goals? Why?
2. Abrahms,      et al., frames the target selection of terrorists in terms of outcome      versus process goals.
3. Which type      of terrorist organization is most likely to focus on outcome goals? Why?
4. Which type      of terrorist organization is most likely to focus on process goals? Why?
5. Explain      the types of targets the focus of each of these goals is likely to choose.      Why does each desired goal, outcome and process, select the target it      does?
6. As      explained by Wright, right-wing and left-wing terrorist groups generally      focus on different groups as targets. What are the general differences      Wright has found supported by the empirical data?
7. Another      generalization suggested by the data, according to Wright, was how      European governments have responded to terrorist attacks. What are the      generalizations Wright has noted?
8. Is there      normally a distinction between professed ideology of a group and that of      the individual members? If so, why? If not, why not?
9. What are      major classifications for terrorist ideologies? Please note and briefly      define those classifications.
10. Wright      presents a reasonable argument for the most opportunistic time for a      government to confront a terrorist group. What is Wright’s generalization?
11. According      to Wright, what are the only consistent predictors of terrorist target      selection? Provide illustrations that help explain this generalization.