Issue 56 What is a Terrorist? April 16, 2013

As you all probably know, America has been attacked on it own soil once again. This time in Boston Massachusetts via two improvised explosive devices (IED). So before I begin I ask that you pray for the victims and there families.

Let us begin: Terrorism is a tactic. The tactic, as the name implies, is to inspire fear in order to achieve a goal. There are many definitions of terrorism, some extensive and broad, while others are narrow. Most governments have their own definition, with some having multiple due to different branches of the military and intelligence agencies each having their own. There is no international definition of what a terrorist is, mainly to provide flexibility in an attack so as to label something terrorism when it is politically suitable, or when needed to bring extra attention to a situation. For our purposes a broad definition is appropriate as terrorism is no longer limited to achieving political goals.

Terrorism: The imminent threat of violence and/or mayhem or the use of violence or act to cause mayhem in the furtherance of a goal.

This is the broadest definition I can come up with that encompasses all aspects of modern day terrorism. We no longer just deal with mass murder and assassinations, but with the instigation of riots, cyber attacks, intimidation and just about anything to inspire terror on a grand scale so that the person, group, or government can achieve there goals.

Terrorist: This is a person(s) or government that instigates the threats or creates the havoc. They will always have some sort of goal. For Islamic Terrorists in the Middle East it is a Caliphate and the removal of western influences they find damaging to their culture. For Jewish Terrorists in Israel it is hatred of Palestinians. In Darfur, it is Sudan sponsoring gangs to kill African Muslims while they themselves are Muslims too, but they claim to be Arab. The Unabomber sought a new society. In Columbine it was the two shooters lashing out against being bullied. For a government, it is the removal of an obstacle to the furtherance of power. No matter what, a terrorist has some sort of goal. If no one realizes that goal however, then their attacks and provocations have failed. Also, if there is no goal or reason behind the attacks, then the person or persons are just simple murders who wish nothing but harm to their fellow man.

Brief History: Terror was first coined during the reign of terror in France during the French Revolution. It became an actual military tactic in WWI when Germany used their zeppelins (airships) to bomb London in the hope that the peoples fear would make them put pressure on the British Government to end the war. Modern Guerilla style attacks where developed in Ireland by the IRA, copied from raiding tactics used in war. They also where one of the first to use IEDS (the Black Hand terrorist group that killed Arch Duke Ferdinand used a hand grenade and guns). Then the Tamil Tigers began using suicide bombings in their terror campaign against their government. Al Qaeda copied these techniques and evolved them further, combining classic military and guerilla style tactics with both modern and low tech weaponry to maximize fear and bloodshed. Al Qaeda is one of the first international terrorist organizations that operate on its own. A group such as Al Qaeda has never existed, to my knowledge, without first being created and used by a government.

With the advent of Al Qaeda and its copy cats, the world was sent into a frenzy. War was no longer Country against Country, but also Country against international organizations. This left a gap in how to prosecute terrorists. Originally, terrorists where treated as civilians and thus tried in a traditional court of law. However, these terrorists create their own battlefields and thus can be considered combatants and have the Geneva conventions applied to them. But this matter is not settled as terrorists fall in-between the definition of criminal and soldier.

As Terminology: The word terrorist is sometimes used as a broad term to describe an entire group. It is not intentional, but is sometimes used to demean an entire people, i.e. Muslim terrorists. However, while we all know that terrorists are in fact a minority, people still use the term. Well the reason is, because there are just too many to list. We have to think of terrorists as a term in the form of the roots of a family tree. Its branches branch out into political terrorism, religious terrorism, and social terrorism and so on. Then this tree branches out further to describe specific groups like Muslim, Jewish, anarchist, communist and the like which are then followed by the specific groups like Al Qaeda, the IRA, and the Tamil Tigers. Everyone on the family tree is a terrorist, it is not meant to look down upon a particular faith or group, it is just that it is easier to say terrorist. It is fine if you wish to be politically correct, but at least come up with a new word first.

Conclusion: Terrorism will never go away. It has existed even before the word was ever invented. At this point in our history we have to decide the best way to treat the problem so as to balance both safety and security with our freedoms. However, the best option in my opinion is learn about the terrorists and their goals and then debunk their ideology or beliefs. In short, I say know thy enemy and then defeat them by destroying every reason they have to fight in the first place. This will leave only the radicals left whose beliefs will never change. From there we can isolate them or capture and/or kill these now ostracized members if it becomes necessary. Counter and anti terrorism is not just about killing them all or putting them to justice, it is information warfare at its most basic and creative level. It will be a long battle and a hard one. So God bless the soldiers in harms way, both in my country America and abroad in this never ending war.

For more information see the U.S. Army and Marine Corps Counter Insurgency Manual.