The Issues of Terrorism and Culture - Assignment Example

The Issues of Terrorism and CultureTerrorism has long been a tool for political violence in many nations. The term terrorism has different perspectives as viewed by various individuals. The western elites describe it as a tool or instrument of political and military violence. It is geared towards crimes perpetrated on opposition groups that deny the legitimacy or rights to resistance and rebellion. The term is torn between political violence and racism; hence, no distinct definition of terrorism to distinguish between racism and political violence.

In my opinion, terrorism is a forceful way of acquiring democracy among nations, but it incorporates racial differences and at times used to break dictatorial leadership in nations. To support this, the spate of terrorists’ activities that have taken place in countries such as Libya, this was under Muammar Gaddafi, and other Middle East countries act as evidence. Terrorism has also been integrated in cases of religious barriers as seen in most Middle East countries, which are divided between Christianity and Islamic grounds.

Therefore, terrorism is widely used in conflicts between countries such as America and Iraq, or conflicts based on religious grounds such as Christianity and Islam. Terrorism is a tool used in bringing about political change in nations both domestically and internationally (Whittaker, 2007). The term terrorism finds its roots in the French revolution in the 16th century and governments that aimed at bringing sanity and political stabilization to their native citizens. The divisions in defining terrorism base their origin on religious differences as well as conflicts between nations.

In international conflict, terrorism is a tool of political violence against the enemy of the state. For example, the war between the Americans and the Israelites, the Americans used terror attacks against the Israelites to instill fear so that Americans could have solid ground to attack the Israelites.In a civil war, terrorism can also be used to explain the acts of violence carried out in the conflict. The other aspect of terrorism is viewed from outside the western viewpoint of terrorism. It is a weapon of alarm for public concern such as in university demonstrations and seminars, witchcraft among others.

There is another view of terrorism, and that is terrorism from below, which is in three phases. The first phase that occurred in the 18th century included assassinations and bombing. The second phase occurred in 19th century and involved acts of violence in most of European countries. The third phase occurred in 20th century and included actions from nationalist movements, religious movements and the secular group.There are four forms of terror. The first form, known as terror from above, is terror enforced by the government.

Hence, those in power commit acts of violence to those who lack power. Conventionally speaking, this is another way of dictatorial leadership by the government. The second form of terror is terrorism that is isolated from a country. The acts of violence committed in the second form cause terror on a narrow perspective rather than broader conflict. An example of this is the war that occurred between America and Israeli in the 1980’s. The consequences of terrorism are quite serious, and many people often lose their lives as victims of terrorism.

However, the results are somehow positive because terrorist’s movements usually have a message to convey and the only way is through attacks, which give a signal indicating the need for changes among the authorities.ReferencesWhittaker J. D., (2007). Terrorism: understanding the global threat. New York: Longman/Pearson