Free Essays on Terrorism

The Good, the Bad, the Terrorist? Terrorism by nature is difficult to define. Acts of terrorism conjure emotional responses in the victims as well as in the practitioners. No two writers agree on what is terrorism. Even the U.S. government cannot agree on one single definition. The old adage, One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter is still alive and well today (Terrorism Research Center: Definitions 1). Although many people believe that terrorism is evil, it is merely misunderstood because there is no set definition. Terrorist are responsible to most of the freedom movements in every country. Terrorist have used violence to get their point across to the public. These acts are often necessary for the success of the movement or cause. The use of this violence can be justified in several ways. You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs has been used by terrorist to describe their actions. Terrorism has been used by governments and against them. It has been used as part of a campaign by guerrillas who have widespread support and by small groups. Terrorism has been used in societies where grievances can be expressed freely and where free speech is suppressed. In a well organized guerrilla campaign, for example, the main goal might be to destroy the governments military forces. The violence is limited to acts which will achieve that objective. This might be destroying a factory which is making arms, or putting out of action part of the government army, or bombing an airfield so that it cannot be used by government aircraft. In some cases, the use of terrorism appears to be a reaction to the disintegration of law and order. A stable society has normally evolved peaceful ways of keeping order and handling disputes between its members without violence. Once law and order breaks down, as they do in civil wars, members of society have to defend themselves in different ways. There may be in a situation where government forces... Free Essays on Terrorism Free Essays on Terrorism Terrorism has affected every American’s life within the past year in numerous different ways. It is an extremely complicated topic, and its destruction has succeeded far beyond the deaths of thousands of people and destroyed buildings. The memory of the September 11 attacks will have a lasting impact especially on all who lived through that day, as well as on future generations. The threat of terrorism has become very real in the past year, and has changed the morality and hopes of every American. Americans know and understand what happened on September 11 - that terrorists of the Taliban hi-jacked two places and flew them into the World Trade Center. However few people, especially the younger generations, realize that the threat of the Taliban has existed for decades and was mostly ignored by the U.S. They also mistakenly associate the violent acts that occurred on that day to the Islamic religion, since the terrorists claimed that they were fighting in the name of Islam. These situations have caused Americans to feel completely unsafe around Muslims or those of Arab decent, altough a minute minority of these people have relations to terrorism. The threat of terrorism has caused Americans to feel that their freedom and safety are constantly threatened, and that they are living under the daily fear and anger that they could be next. The Islamic faith is based on the values of peace and morality. It is against the Islamic faith to perform any acts of violence. Osama bin Laden claims that the Taliban is fighting in the name of Islam, against the Western values. He resents and is disgusted by the American luxuries: fast food, alcohol, democracy, freedom, television. Americans take these things for granted and do not realize that it is not like that in much of the world. The Taliban feels that Americans are trying to â€Å"westernize† the east and the Islamic faith. He has taken the extreme approach to stop this from happe... Free Essays on Terrorism Terrorism† After the World Trade Center tragedy on September 11, 2001. Many people realized terrorism is a big problem. Especially here in the United States. Terrorism is affecting us everyday not only here in the United States but in other parts of the world for example in †¦. Colombia, Afghanistan, Qatar, Jordan and many other countries. While I was in the process of doing my I –Search I came along a lot of questions that I was interested to find out the answer to. Like what exactly is terrorism? Who were the first terrorists? And what were some other terrorist attacks that have occurred here in the United States? And last but not least how can terrorism be prevented? I hope to find these answers to my questions by using traditional and non- traditional sources. For my first question, which was, what is terrorism? I found out that terrorism is the extreme use of violence and crimes against the person in order to achieve a political or other social aim. This term was first used to describe the actions of a state against its citizens later it was used to describe also the actions of individuals. I found the answer to my question by using traditional source. I used a book called â€Å" Inside Terrorism† by Bruce Hoffman. For my second question who were the first terrorists? I was extremely surprised by the answer. Who could of thought terrorism started way back hundreds of years ago. An American group who called themselves Ku Klux Klan (also known as KKK) were the first real terrorist. Ku Klux Klan used violence to terrorize blacks and their sympathizers in the period following the end of the Civil War in 1865 and during the 1900’s. In the 1930’s Adolph Hitler of Germany, Benito Mussoini of Italy, and Joseph Stalin of Russia used terrorism to discourage opposition to the governments. I found this answer in a book called â€Å" Terrorism in The 20th Century† (A narrative encyclopedia from the anarchists through the weather m... Free Essays on Terrorism â€Å"Bring us your poor, your sick†¦.,† that is what the sign reads at Ellis Island; the very place that had to be evacuated during the horrors of September 11, 2001. Now, Americans may need to revise their ideals in order to ensure our safety. Since our enemies no longer ally themselves with a specific country, but a cause, we need to pose the question of what to do with our immigration poly. More specifically, should the United States put restrictions on immigration now that we’re not sure of exactly who the enemy is? â€Å"How much freedom are you willing to give up to protect America from terrorists? In the year since September 11th, with the talk of national ID cards, face recognition technology and racial profiling, some experts say law enforcement has gone too far, others say authorities haven’t gone far enough†(Dershowitz, 1). America is traditionally known as the land of the free. Our borders are open to anyone seeking freedom of persecution, violence, or poor living conditions; after all, our country was founded by Protestants seeking freedom from religious persecution. However, since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, American citizens and administrators alike have been reconsidering our, â€Å"open door policy† towards immigration. Some arguments in favor of closing our borders to immigrants are strong and persuasive. It is argued that a primary way of protecting American citizens is to restrict anyone else into our country. It is hard and almost impossible to find out exactly who has Al Qaeda links since it is a cause instead of a nationality. Therefore, the only way to protect our citizens is to close our borders to all people in an attempt to, â€Å"root out terrorism and assure our homeland security† (Cahill, 2). For example, in December 2001, a man named Richard Reid, a British citizen with Al Qaeda ties, boarded a transatlantic flight headed for Miami with explosives in his shoes. Reid pled guilty to all ... Free Essays on Terrorism Terrorism is the deliberate act of killing innocent people to achieve their political goals. In recent years terrorism has become one of greatest threats to the world’s future. There is no place in the world that is safe from terrorist attacks. There are many forms of international terrorism such as biological, chemical, nuclear, and environmental. These collective entities make terrorism a destructive threat against the humanity. Terrorism is my single greatest fear for the future of the world, because there is no way to insure global immunity from terrorism. However, we can only take preventive steps in national security to fight such meaningless attacks. My concern about the issue is the danger of mass destruction in which could lead to killing of large numbers of civilians. However, with all the dangers that terrorists impose to us; we don’t have to let the fear cripple us from our daily activities. We have to fight with these fears, since changing behavior as resu lt of fear counts as a victory for terrorists. Before the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, I did not think of terrorism as a major threat to the United States and the world. I always thought of terrorism as groups of people who use small bombs to attack innocent civilians to just draw attention. While witnessing smaller incidents in the daily news in Israel and Palestine, the number of casualties never seemed to be as shocking as the September 11th event. However, today the terrorist attacks are becoming more lethal. They try to use any kind of weapon ranging from airplanes to nuclear bombs, as a means to kill as many people as possible. Who would have thought that one-day terrorist would hijack airplanes and crash them into the world trade center. I cannot forget the morning of September 11th when my sister woke me up and told me that an airplane hit the World Trade Center. At first I though it was just an accident. Then, after the second... Free Essays on Terrorism The world watched in horror as television broadcasts showed the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center burn and collapse on September 11, 2001, killing as many as 3,000 people. For many Americans the shocking images didn't end there. Later that day, broadcasts showed footage of Palestinian youths celebrating the U.S. attacks. What is the meaning of this hatred? How could anyone be celebrating the murder of so many innocent civilians? Americans were shocked to see that others would ever wish us pain. In the aftermath of such a tragic event it is important not only to discuss the act itself, but to ask questions as to why the attacks happened and why it hurt so much to see others cheer at the sight of our pain. At an early age, Americans are taught that everyone wants to be American and that the â€Å"American Dream† is the only way to live a full and happy life. This incident has brought awareness that the U.S. is not universally known as the beloved big brother w e often depict ourselves as. In understanding Anti-American resentment we have to look at the reasons for it, faults in past and present U.S. foreign policy, and the best action with regard to future international peace and security. In the wake of September 11th terrorist attacks, many Americans asked the question â€Å"Why do they hate us?† Some say that certain Muslim groups hate our democracy and the freedoms our government allow us. After the terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush addressed the issue during a speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress: "Americans are asking, 'Why do they hate us?' They hate what they see right here in this chamber: a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms: our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other." (Elliott) U.S. President Bush might disagree, but some say the terrorists' actions were direct... Free Essays on Terrorism â€Å"I wish I could hate you Bin Laden you BRUTE! I’d throw you out of an airplane With no parachute! I wish I could hate you, And SHOUT as you fall, But I WONT because HATE, Is what stated this all†( iserv.net/~ige/rj/terror9.html) This poem was written by a 13 year old. A 13 year old that has not even lived a quarter of a century. Imagine growing up in a world where people are afraid to fly; a world where a country plans their day around a terror rating, which is forever changing. At religious institutions where people go to observe holly holidays, they need to pass through a metal detector before entering the building. And to make matters worse America’s Commander and Chief believes the men and women over seas are progressing, on the contrary there are still troops dying. How can this be considered progress? Due to peoples different experiences in their past, how one pictures these examples will differ. This holds true when looking at Terrorism. The American Heritage Dictionary defines terrorism, â€Å"as the use of terror, violence, and intimidation, to produce a feeling of fear and discomfort.† Terrorism can be a school shooting, to a bombing on a bus in Israel. Terrorism affects individuals, Americans, and people all over the world in many different ways. Depending upon the act of terror each person may react differently due to the situation. If a person were to loose a loved one, they would react completely different then someone who had just seen what happened on the news. Take for example, The Shootings at Columbine. Yet people all over the world question why someone would do something so inhumane. There are many different reasons why a person would commit such a heinous crime. These problems going through a person’s brain could stem back to their childhood. It could have been because of their improper upbringing. It could be because these people are the ones who got picked on because they were dif... Free Essays on Terrorism The Good, the Bad, the Terrorist? Terrorism by nature is difficult to define. Acts of terrorism conjure emotional responses in the victims as well as in the practitioners. No two writers agree on what is terrorism. Even the U.S. government cannot agree on one single definition. The old adage, One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter is still alive and well today (Terrorism Research Center: Definitions 1). Although many people believe that terrorism is evil, it is merely misunderstood because there is no set definition. Terrorist are responsible to most of the freedom movements in every country. Terrorist have used violence to get their point across to the public. These acts are often necessary for the success of the movement or cause. The use of this violence can be justified in several ways. You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs has been used by terrorist to describe their actions. Terrorism has been used by governments and against them. It has been used as part of a campaign by guerrillas who have widespread support and by small groups. Terrorism has been used in societies where grievances can be expressed freely and where free speech is suppressed. In a well organized guerrilla campaign, for example, the main goal might be to destroy the governments military forces. The violence is limited to acts which will achieve that objective. This might be destroying a factory which is making arms, or putting out of action part of the government army, or bombing an airfield so that it cannot be used by government aircraft. In some cases, the use of terrorism appears to be a reaction to the disintegration of law and order. A stable society has normally evolved peaceful ways of keeping order and handling disputes between its members without violence. Once law and order breaks down, as they do in civil wars, members of society have to defend themselves in different ways. There may be in a situation where government forces... Free Essays on Terrorism Terrorism Why do people resort to such violent acts as bombing, assassinations, and hi-jacking? How do individuals and organizations justify these acts of terror. These acts can be described as terrorist actions. Terrorism is an growing international problem. During the last twenty years, new terrorist groups have sprung up al lover the world. Governments have had little success in their attempts to resolve issues in which terrorism is used. A major problem in discussing terrorism is establishing a generally accepted definition. Terrorism can be described as the unlawful use of fear or force to achieve certain political, economical, or social aims. Because it is so hard to define, organizations like the United Nations have had great difficulty drawing up policies against terrorism. Terrorist actions may be committed by a single individual, a certain group, or even governments. Most terrorists, unlike criminals, claim to be dedicated to higher causes, and do not believe in personal gain. The methods used in terrorism include threats, bombings, the destruction of property, kidnapping, the taking of hostages, executions, and assassinations. There are many reasons why political groups attempt to bring about radical change through terrorism. People are often frustrated with their position in society. They may in some way feel persecuted or oppressed because or their race, religion, or they feel exploited by a government. Any group that uses terrorist actions have very complex and powerful reasons to engage in those activities. The use of terror to achieve goals is not a new idea in history. One early terrorist group, the assassins, flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries. The assassins used murder to dispose of their enemies, and their name has come to be used for one who kills for political or religious reasons. Government terrorism dates at least from immediately after the French Revolution, in 1789. Durin... Free Essays on Terrorism Terrorism "To kill Americans and their allies, both civil and military, is an individual duty of every Muslim who is able, in any country where this is possible." -Osama Bin Laden 8:55 A.M. EST: A Boeing 767 Jetliner with 92 people on board crashes into the North tower of the World Trade Center in New York. 9:05 A.M. EST: A Boeing 757 Jetliner with 58 people on board crashes into the South tower of the World Trade Center causing a huge explosion. 9:43 A.M. EST: A third plane crashes into the Pentagon causing a portion of one side of the five-sided structure to collapse. 9:50 A.M. EST: All U.S. airports shutdown and American airspace is closed. 10:07 A.M. EST: South tower of the World Trade Center collapses. 10:27 A.M. EST: North tower of the World Trade Center collapses. 10:30 A.M. EST: Boeing 757 en route to San Francisco crashes southeast of Pittsburgh. â€Å"Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes or in their offices: secretaries, business men and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger†¦America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world and we stand together to win the war against terrorism†¦This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our . .. Free Essays on Terrorism Since the events of September 11, 2001, the United States of America as a whole people do not feel nearly as secure as they used to. In light of the terrorist attacks, citizens have taken a much closer look at the tremendous vulnerabilities America has. Dams, chemical plants, malls, and stadiums are just a few of the numerous potential terrorist targets. Obviously these facilities need to be protected at a heightened state of alert. What can the United States do as a country to stop these threats? They must retaliate to put terrorist on the run, making them contemplate long and hard about attacking American civilians again. Many believe that if Osama bin Laden is killed the problem would be solved. This is not so, terrorism networks must be destroyed for the problem to be resolved. In order to do this the United States must form a global task force against terrorism. If the United States, with the support of the rest of the world does this, terrorism will be diminished and c itizens everywhere can feel secure once again. In response to terrorism, the United States must retaliate against known terrorists, institute new precautions, and establish a global task force. The first step in fighting against terrorism that the military must take is to collect information. They need to locate enemy training camps, facilities, aircraft runways, and underground caves. Caves, buried in mountainous terrain, house terrorists, their weapons, electricity, tanks, command centers, and sleeping quarters. Most information obtained on these positions come from satellites taking pictures from space. Another source of information comes from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). They acquire their knowledge through techniques in espionage, known most commonly as spying. By using satellites and espionage, the United States will gain the knowledge they need to strategically hit key terrorist training camps, weaponry, airports, and so on. After... Free Essays on Terrorism Terrorism Terrorism, until the recent attacks on the US, has remained a dormant issue in the media. After the recent attacks people have many different thoughts on terrorist and the attacks. Although it has been around for centuries, the organized use of violence to target non-combatants for political purposes is one of the most effective ways to gain media attention. Mainly used by extremist groups in the hopes of gaining recognition for their cause (whether it is religious, political or otherwise.) Several attacks on the US have recently made headlines The attack on the USS Cole (October 12, 2000), US Embassy bombings in Kenya + Tanzania (August 7, 1998), Oklahoma City bombing (April 19, 1995) and finally the World Trade Center bombing on February 27 1993. There were overt threats made to the US government regarding these attacks but most were dismissed as hoaxes. What we need to recognize about terrorism is its message. Attacks are always perfectly planned and precise, almost showing that t hey could do better. The most recent attack on America has been on the WTC and pentagon. Which thousands of innocent people died because Al-Quaida flew three, passenger aircrafts into both towers and crashed one into the pentagon, the United States’s best-guarded facility. Hopefully these deaths were not in vein, now other countries have joined George Bush in the war against terrorism and are launching repeated air and ground strikes and searches on Afghanistan ( Al-Quaida’s supposed base.) They hope that these attacks will prevent any further events from happening. These attacks have in my view displayed that the Taliban can control the US economy and hit any target they wish, no matter how well guarded it is. Perhaps the American government should have been more cautious and handled the threats more carefully. Maybe they were being too proud and this is why the Taliban believe it is justifiable to kill innocent people, or they chose to... Free Essays on Terrorism Terrorism in the Webster’s New American Dictionary is defined as â€Å"the systematic use of intense fear as a means of coercion.† In this day and age, the term terrorism is more than just the use of intense fear as a means of coercion but includes the use of terrorism as a means of revenge and pure sport and also as a means of suppression. While the dictionaries definitions says that it is the use coercion to promote certain ideologies, some of the most cleverly hidden terrorism today is the terrorism used to suppress some ideologies or certain ethnic groups or societies. The popular image of terrorism is of extremist groups trying to rebel or promote their ideologies by blowing up airplanes, buses, government buildings, or taking hostages. By defining terrorism thoroughly, we can begin to look at what terrorism is really about. The use of terror is usually a tool to promote ideologies according to the dictionary but what about the use of terror for revenge? After the Serb withdrawal from Kosovo this past month, there was a rash of terrorist acts committed by Albanians against Serbs. The Serb civilian population of Kosovo was not a threat to the Albanians but the violence against them was not one of coercion but of revenge. The hostage crisis at the American embassy in Teheran twenty years ago was another example of terrorism based on revenge. While that incident involved the political theme of the revolution in Iran and the authorities used it to promote their Islamic ideology, those that carried out the hostage crisis took over the embassy in a fit of rage and under the euphoria of anger against anything American. They had already achieved their goal, which was to rid the American backed Shah who ruled the country with terror; the hostage crisis was merely an outburst of revenge against the west. Terrorism is not just coercion, but it also revenge. The use of terror to punish the victim and remind them of what the enactor of the ter... Free Essays on Terrorism â€Å"Terrorism has been practiced throughout history and throughout the world. The Spanish Inquisition used arbitrary arrest, torture, and execution to punish what it viewed as religious heresy. After the American Civil War (1861–65) defiant Southerners formed a terrorist organization called the Ku Klux Klan to intimidate supporters of Reconstruction.† (Internet reference) The above-mentioned are just two of the many terrorist acts not typically considered to be terrorism. So, what is terrorism? There is no concrete definition; instead there are many, which are based on individual and self-centered views. When defining the term we tend not to ask the following: Does terrorism need to involve the killing of many people or can it affect just one person? Can it involve simply the destruction of property, with no injuries? Can governments commit acts of terrorism, or is the term reserved only for people who operate outside of governments? Must terrorism involve the people of one country attacking citizens of another country? Does motive make a difference? Does terrorism need to be intentional? Many of us limit ourselves to the belief that terrorism only involves the people of one country attacking those of another. This is the case today; post 9-11 and with the strong media influence most have been brainwashed into associating terrorism with the â€Å"cowardly acts† committed by a group of people against the government and citizens of either their own or foreign country. We have also begun to put faces to this one-dimensional definition, those being Osama Bin-Laden, Saddam Hussein, Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban to name a few. With the influence of the U.S. the world has become defensive. We are now at war against terrorism. But how can we put an end to something that we cannot define? The answer to that is to base the solution on your definition of the problem. This has been and is the case today. Countries define the term according to ...