Terrorism
1) It is very difficult to resolve the international problem of terrorism for several
major reasons.
Terrorists usually don't claim responsibility for their actions until the fuse is lit,
it's
not a case of Jack The Ripper sending an ear to the cops and warning them who his next
victim will be. Terrorists usually do claim responsibility for their actions after the
media is
aware that something happened, this gains recognition for their cause, which is often
the
reason they resort to terrorism in the first place. These groups are often underground
and
individuals rarely step forward, how can you arrest an entire group that you can't
touch?
Governments endorsing terrorist acts and providing a safe house for them once
they're on the run just adds to the problem. Hijackers can take their hostages, get the
ransom and fly the plane to the country of their choice. That country is usually ready
to
welcome the criminal, for a small cut of the ransom. Algeria used terrorism as a
business
to raise capital. By providing immunity, they became a haven for terrorists. Many Middle
Eastern countries resort to terrorism when dealing with other nations. Saudi Arabia
sponsors Islamic terrorists to lay siege to Egypt. Terrorism is a means of influencing
international relations.
How can you prevent acts of terrorism when those paid to protect the people are
among the guilty? The Ku Klux Klan is a prime example of police corruption and a
government that turned its' back on its' people. Dirty cops and prejudicial governments
provided the fuel that burnt black churches of the Southern States in the past . Many
white
citizens were not members of the Ku Klux Klan, but most whites were reluctant to take a
stand against the Klan until the KKK's acts of violence began to threaten whites who
were
not white supremacists. When whites began to oppose the Klan, they went underground
and were thought to have disbanded but they arose again before the first war and once
more during the civil rights movements of the 1960's. This problem has arose again as
Negro churches have again been targeted by arsonists. The police have been unable to
solve the majority of these crimes.
Hitler and his Nazi Regime could possibly be the worst example of a government
applying acts of terrorism on its people. When those at the top are corrupt, how can the
people defend themselves? Hitler's methods and ideologies have made him one of the
most feared and hated men in history. Stalin also used acts of terrorism on his people.
His
death squads that patrolled the streets at night and annihilated the homeless was
supposedly done for a good cause. I think that is very questionable.
Negotiating with terrorists can also be bewildering. Recently Prime Minister John Major
of Britain and Prime Minister John Bruton of Ireland were engaging in peace talks with
the Irish political party Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein is the oldest Irish political party and
has been
striving for the independence of Ireland for years. They were founded in 1905 and have
representatives in every major Irish town, they are considered to be the political wing
of
the Irish Republican Army. Sinn Fein claims to have genuinely sought after peace but
continuing British bad faith has caused the IRA to act. The British deny these
accusations
of bad faith and became puzzled when the IRA broke a long standing cease fire with a
bombing in the urban center of Manchester.
Negotiations can be impossible in the case of suicide bombers. Many Japanese
Cults can not be traced. Though their agents are always caught, they can never be
questioned. Suicide is deemed heroic by the Japanese, the Japanese cult Aum Supreme
Truth used sarin nerve gas on a Tokyo subway to cause terror, other previous Japanese
cults have committed mass suicide at the order from their leader to avoid interrogation
and
incarceration. Often these leaders have some type of mind control on their followers.
Some countries don't bother negotiating with terrorists. They take a stance where
if the terrorist asks for a million bucks they get squat. The United States has a policy
that
is meant to deter terrorist-acts, no negotiations, no mercy.
2) My position on this topic is anti-terrorism because terrorism is an unethical method
of
gaining money or stealing publicity for a cause. Terrorists are bullies that prey on the
fears
of the innocent. They drag women and children into their wars with little concern for
the
lives that they shatter. They get what they want by endangering the people that their
enemies are responsible for. The threat of a terrorist bomb is as petty as black mail.
Terrorists don't need to resort to violence, they should negotiate first. If they are
a developing country crying for help, they should use the media to get the word out. I
am
sure that foreign countries would rather lend a hand rather than dealing with
terrorists.
Terrorists are wrong because they target the defenseless, they cause fear, death
and destruction among the public and if they're not fighting for a cause, their motives
are
probably greed.
Terrorists may not directly kill millions of people, but the spark that started many
wars came from a terrorists match, foremost the assassination of Arch Duke Ferdinand.
3) Seven important questions that could adequately describe terrorism are:
1. What police groups are involved in preventing international crime?
2. Do governments give in to the demands of terrorists?
3. Do certain countries and their governments endorse terrorist activities?
4. What methods do terrorists use and what do they accomplish?
5. Where are felons tried for committing international crimes?
6. Which countries are heavily troubled by terrorist acts?
7. What are the names, leaders and methods of prevalent terrorist groups globally?
4)Information answering the seven preceding questions:
1. Most countries have their own agencies for dealing with terrorism, but one global
force
that deals with terrorist activities is Interpol. Interpol is a global police agency that
links
the police forces of the world. They trade information and relay suspect information
amongst each other. This makes it difficult for hijackers landing in foreign countries to
get
away. Interpol relays messages through a central intelligence system that filters down
into
the systems of each countries police stations. By sharing information and man power
international crime becomes less appealing to criminals thanks to interpol.
Peru has a new anti-terrorist directorate called Dincote. General Maximo Rivera Diaz has
established this new "Delta" force to shut down the terrorist activity of the Shining
Path in
Lima.
Prior to it's break up, Russia had virtually no terrorist problem because of the
efficiency of
their secret service, the KGB. Now that the former Soviet Union is in shambles,
terrorism
in Russia is becoming more evident.
2. Depending on the severity of the case governments must make a decision on handling
affairs with terrorists, pay them, hold out or send in an anti-terrorist group to
neutralize
the situation. One country that stands out from the rest is The United States of
America.
They stand by a policy that does not give terrorists what they want, which would divert
greedy terrorists from the States. Clinton began a harsh anti-terrorist bill as a result
of the
Oklahoma bombing. He wishes to make terrorism a priority among the police and other
crime fighting agencies such as the FBI. He wishes to accomplish this by giving these
forces the best surveillance equipment and crime fighting tools available. A chemical
applied to all bomb making chemicals would make bombs apparent at airport check points
and would cut down on hijacking. He also wishes to bar products from countries that
endorse terrorism.
3.Terrorists and governments occasionally work hand in hand. Algeria brought in large
sums of money by housing terrorists. Hamas is terrorist group working in the Middle
East.
It was formed in 1987. They conduct attacks on Israeli military and civilian groups,
disrupting politics and causing explosions. The group is large, with thousands of
sympathetic supporters. They also receive aid from Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Palestine
Islamic Jihad is a similar group working in the Middle East. They act to form an Islamic
Palestinian State and to destroy Israel through a "Holy War". Their strength is unknown
but they have been linked to Syria and Iran. The Palestine Liberation Organization(PLO)
has been around since 1969. Yassir Arafat became the chairman and still holds the
position
today. This group has a more global range of actions, but is basically striving for the
same
goals and also has ties to middle eastern nations. Another group banded with Saudi
Arabia
is The Tigers Of The Gulf. It is highly secretive and little is know but it is
anti-American,
and it is aided by Saudi Arabia.
4.Terrorists use a broad spectrum of methods to get their jobs done. Most of them either
gain recognition for the terrorists cause or throw a kink in someone else's plans, this
would usually further the terrorists cause, for example assassinating a rival political
leader
would give your leader a better chance. Assassinations by terrorists are usually aimed
at
someone in the spotlight that the media will react to. It is also often a member of the
terrorists rival or someone close to him, like the assassination of the Czar and his
family in
Russia. Guerrilla warfare is also considered an act of terrorism, this would almost
classify
the Vietnam war as a terrorist's war. Bombing is also a preferred method of destruction
used by many terrorist groups, at the front of these is probably the IRA. Bombs leave
little
evidence and a large margin for error. Hijacking and kidnapping are also strong ways for
terrorists to make demands and gain money. Kidnapping can be used to push the buttons
of influential people and hijacking works as kidnapping with an escape route. Both of
these are often used to trade the hostages for the freedom of imprisoned group members.
Threats and propaganda are also widely spread by mainstream organizations.
5. International terrorists don't care about police jurisdiction, but it does make a
difference. Committing a crime in one country may have altogether different punishments
than those of a different country, as the boy who was caned in Singapore found out all
too
well. The internationally renown guerrilla troop and terrorist, Carlos The Jackal, was
captured and arrested on bomb related charges. He is from Venezuela but has caused
trouble in several countries and they all want his hide. France is the lucky country that
gets
to punish him because he was captured and convicted in France. The criminal is charged
in
the country that he commits the crime in, they often seek citizenship in foreign
countries
to gain protection, much like the two men in Canada that are wanted by Bangladesh for
committing murders. Both men are now Canadian citizens and refuse to return because
they fear they will not have a fair trial. Canada has to make a decision now on whether
to
honor The Country of Bangladesh or to honor the rights of the two men.
6.Every country has some degree of terrorist activity, be it large or small. The Middle
East
seems to be a hot spot for terrorist activities, maybe due to many of the nations' roles
in
hiring terrorists to join their side than to perform dirty work for that government.
There
are also many disgruntled minorities that use terrorism as a way to get what they want.
Japan has it's own problems with cult-religious groups that resort to terrorist acts.
These
groups are often related to suicide bombers and such, kind of a modern day kami kaze.
Areas of Europe also suffer from high rates of terrorist activity, many stemming back
from
the territorial and religious disputes of times long ago. Monarchy seems to be the enemy
of the majority of European terrorists. The States also gets its share of terror, some
domestic but much from overseas, their policies help keep the levels low. More people
die
in bath tub accidents than from terrorism in the States. Canada is even scathed by the
knife
of terrorism. The FLQ was Canada's most dominant and violent terrorist group, though
short lived they created a stir in Francophone relations with the rest of Canada.
7.-The Shining Path is a highly organized terrorist group with coordinated tactics, but
a
low violence level. Their leader, Abimael Guzman, was captured by the Peruvian
government. Guzman's capture has lead to the re-election of the countries' president
Alberto Fujimori.
-The Provisional Irish Republican Army(IRA) is active in Northern Ireland but carries
out
it's actions in Great Britain. They often rely on bombs to get their point across, their
main
goal is the independence of Ireland from Great Britain, and the unification of Ireland.
The
Northern Irish(IRA) want freedom and independence for themselves and their Protestant
religion while the Southern Irish don't want to leave and wish to remain united with
Britain. The IRA was falsely accused of being hand in hand with the Nazi's during the
war. The IRA does have ties though, they are allied with the Irish political party Sinn
Fein
which handles the groups political affairs and negotiating.
-The Red Army Faction is a German based group which originated in the 1960's. Their
ideology is a combination of theories from both Marx and Maoism. The result is a
commitment to armed struggle. The group announced that it would end it's terrorist
activities in 1992. While the group was active they engaged in bombings, kidnappings,
assassinations, robberies and has targeted both German and American governments. They
were even bold enough to attempt to assassinate the head of NATO, Alexander Haig. The
RAF has several hard-core cadres that carry out their terrorist missions as well as a
large
civilian following that spreads the groups propaganda. The group has survived over the
years despite the repeated capture of it's highest ranking members. The RAF has ties
with
several middle eastern terrorist factions and a very strong tie with GRAPO of Spain.
They
are attempting to destroy western capitalism and promote world wide Marxism.
-The True Teaching of Aum/Supreme Truth of Aum is a Japanese based faction that was
formed in 1987 by Shoko Asahara. It was recognized as a religious group in 1989. It was
headquartered in a small farming village near the base of Mount Fuji. It contains five
branches scattered among 130 sites. It's membership is estimated 10,000 in Japan,
30,000
in Russia and about 100 in Manhattan. They practice a doctrine of Hinduism and
Buddhism and they follow a goddess named Shiva, lord of destruction and regeneration.
They believe the world will end some time in 1997. They were the group responsible for
the sarin gas attacks on Tokyo metro systems that hurt thousands. The groups current
leader Shoko Asahara was arrested.
5)Some would say that terrorism is a valiant deed, the ultimate sacrifice for ones
cause,
the only thing that a terrorist sacrifices is the lives of the innocent, the terrorist is
a butcher
of human rights. Others would also say terrorism is an act of retaliation, well two
wrongs
don't make a right. If a terrorist organisation responds to a terrorist attack against
themselves with another act of terrorism, what do you think the other groups response
will
be? This situation is currently occuring in Great Britain, the Irish accuse the English
of
something and act, the English deny it and accuse the Irish of commiting unwarranted
attacks and responds. This conflict has been raging for years and no end is in sight
since
the ceasefire was broken.
What if a developing nation has no resources or commodity to trade to the rest of the
world, wouldn't you take foriegn hostages to make enough money to feed your country? I
believe that foriegn countries would rather help to solve the crisis before it reached
the
stage where terrorism would be put into effect. Negotiations prior to the problem's
begining could benefit both sides of the table.
6)Three case studies that would provide further insight into the world of terrorism
would
be:
-The FLQ's affect on Francophone relations with the rest of Canada. Did the kidnapping
and assassination of government officials gain anything? Did it actually hurt Quebec's
dealings with English speaking Canadians or was it neccesary? How long did the FLQ
remain active and how many members did they have? Did the Front de Liberationd pour
Quebec have the people of the province behind them?
-The IRA has been battling for it's freedom for years. Does each bomb they place bring
them closer to freedom or does it push their goal further apart? Would peaceful
negotiations reach their goal faster or is violence their last resort? Finally is freedom
worth
that much? Thousands of lives have been lost over a grudge between nations, could it all
have been avoided with a little bit of equality?
-Japanese religious cults have even less mercy than the brutal terrorists of the west.
Can
you blame a terrorist when his actions are being influenced? Should religious cults be
shut
down before they reach the terorrist stage? Chemicals used to make bombs and gas like
sarin could be marked in the manufacturing stage, could this avoid the entire probleb?
7)Terrorism is a terrible deed, sometimes committed in the name of a not so terrible
cause. I feel terrorists use their cause to gain the sympathy of the people, the masses
can
add to success of a terrorist groups cause. Compromising values to achieve a goal is
wrong, many terrorists act because their human rights were disturbed, what are they
doingwhen they take hostages? Sometimes the cause is good but the method is always
wrong if terrorism is resorted to.
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