Page 23 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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Introduction

Terrorism, in various forms, has been practiced government control by complete intimidation of the
throughout history and across a wide variety of polit- population.
ical ideologies. There are as many definitions for the
word terrorism as there are methods of executing it;
the term means different things to different people, ORIGINS OF TERRORISM
and trying to define or classify terrorism to everyone’s Terrorism as a practice is thought to have begun in first-
satisfaction proves impossible. However, most defini- century Judea, where Jewish men would use a short
tions of terrorism hinge on three factors: the method dagger (sica) to slit the throats of occupying Romans
(violence), the target (civilians or the government), and their collaborators in full view of the public. Sicarri,
and the purpose (to instill fear and force political or as these dagger-men were called, were among the
social change). group known as Zealots, who opposed Roman occupa-
The adoption of terrorist techniques by insurgent tion. Hidden in crowds, the Zealots would also attack
groups, especially in the developing world, led to a wealthy Jews and kidnap their servants for ransom.
perception of terrorism as a natural outgrowth of the Later on in seventh-century India, members of the thug-
anticolonial struggle—merely another weapon of gee cult (the origin for the modern-day word thug) rit-
revolutionary guerrillas in their campaigns for inde- ually strangled their victims in an apparent act of
pendence. This understanding—or, in the eyes of sacrifice to the Hindu goddess Kali.
many terrorism experts, misunderstanding—of the The philosophical antecedents of modern-day ter-
term terrorism is also expressed in the cliché, “One rorism were also formed by the Russian revolutionary
man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” Mikhail Bakunin in the middle of the 19th century. In
Although terrorism is often thought of as the his Principles of Revolution (1869), Bakunin wrote that
province of relatively small nongovernmental groups, no other action except terrorism by individuals or small
governments may use terrorism for a variety of rea- groups could cleanse the Russian soil. Later in 19th-
sons: to maintain political power, to put down strug- century Russia, the anarchist organization known as
gles of liberation, or to pacify populations after an Narodnaya Volya, or People’s Will, launched a wave of
annexation. Some would even argue that the United bombings and assassinations. The group targeted the
States itself conducts terrorist activities against czar, the royal family, and other government officials,
selected targets while attacking other counties for whom it believed to be the embodiment of a corrupt
promoting terrorist activities. regime.
Defining state terrorism is complicated because all At the turn of the 19th century, terrorism in the
nations rely on violence to some degree. War, for form of political assassination became a major global
example, is a violent and deadly way for countries to phenomenon. In the post-World War II years, other
settle their differences. All functioning governments types of terrorism became strategies of choice for
have systems of law enforcement that rely on various nationalist groups in the Middle East, North Africa,
forms of violence—for example, armed police, impris- and Asia in their struggles for independence. In pre-
onment, forced labor, and the physical mutilation or dominantly agrarian societies, this terrorism took the
killing of certain criminals—to maintain order. State form of guerrilla warfare, with China and Indochina
terrorism differs from these forms of violence in part as the classic examples. In urban areas such as
because of the unpredictability and secrecy with which Palestine and Cyprus, acts of terror were committed
it is carried out. Its goal is usually to strengthen within city limits.

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