Domestic Terrorism in America - Essay Example

Domestic Terrorism in America Introduction Terrorism is derived from terror and refers to premeditated and politically or socially motivated violence against innocent non-combatants. This is usually by a group of people or clandestine agents of a course (Zalman, 2012). Terrorism aims at instilling fear to non-combatants with the aim of swinging public opinion on a certain political or social course in favor of those causing terror. Over the years, terrorism has been used to pressure political opponents with the aim of achieving political personal goals and objectives. However, there often exists a thin line between terrorism and fight for justice. It is worth noting that many countries today trace their existence to struggles for freedom, equality and justice from colonizers or occupiers who oppressed them. The struggle may have been violent at times, leading to injury, death or destruction of property, but is what brought the desired freedom to these societies. Those who may have been hurt or dispossessed during these struggles see those who started them for the liberation of their societies, not as heroes but terrorists. Therefore, as the debate rages on the difference between a terrorist and a hero, some pundits have argued that it is purely a matter of perception and partisanship (Bolt, 2001). The two can easily interchange depending on personal perceptions. Domestic Terrorism in America America is a country of people from diverse origins, colors, religions, cultures, creeds and beliefs, and who have different conflicts and issues but coexisting in the same country. Americans have different dreams, perceptions, expectations and struggles that may conflict, leading to desperation, agitation, arguments and illogical approach including terrorism to solve the conflicts. Therefore, faced with all these, it is right to say that most of domestic terrorism in America is either as a result of struggle on the real meaning of Americanism or an effort to push personal agenda on the national front, or as a means to destabilize the empire for its imperialistic attitudes towards other countries. The above is well explained in the discussion below. Early Terrorism America is a country founded on the tenets of freedom, justice and equality among all the people. The constitution of America is among the most progressive supreme laws in the world as it aims at enhancing this freedom, justice and equality for all those living within the country’s borders. However, to attain this, the country had to undergo a brutal seven-year war of independence between 1775 and 1782. Some quarters point at this war as the precursor of domestic terrorism in America. This is because the colonists led by George Washington used violence against the British army to proclaim their independence and establish the United States of America (Zalman, 2012). The violence that occurred during the struggle led to loss of lives and is seen as terrorism in some quarters. However, that remains debatable. White Supremacy Terrorism Before the American Civil war that lasted between 1861 and 1865, slavery existed in several states, in America, more so, the southern states. Therefore, some parts of the society were organized in a master-subject situation. This situation naturally created supremacy of certain races over others. Since it is the black people who were enslaved by the white people, the state of affairs in the American states where slavery existed can be defined as one where whites were viewed as being superior to blacks. However, after the war, slavery was abolished in America. Measures were also taken by the Congress and the Union military to enforce equality for all people. This move destabilized the state of white supremacy over the black race and did not go well with white supremacists. They felt that their prestige in the society as a superior race disappeared. This led to the formation of Ku Klan Klux (KKK) whose aim was to terrorize the black Americans and their white sympathizers (Gage, 2000). The KKK engaged in brutal, violent campaigns against black Americans and their sympathizers. This was until the Congress banned the group in 1871 (Gage, 2009). However, later in the 1920s, resurgent violence by KKK towards not only blacks but Jews, Catholics, immigrants and the minorities reached new levels of American domestic terrorism. Although not actively present, there are white Americans who still ascribe to the KKK ideology of white supremacy. They still engage in low levels of violence against the minorities that constitute low levels of domestic terrorism. Wall Street Bombing in 1920 The 1920s coincided with the Bolshevik revolution in Russia that created the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). This revolution had a substantial impact on like-minded socialists across the world including America. Huge economic inequalities in America caused by the free enterprise economy created ready fodder for agitation of socialism in the country led by local communists and anarchists. This led to industrial strikes in factories and government service sectors resulting in the red-scare (Courtois et al., 1999). Red scare was the fear of a similar revolution that had happened in Russia in 1917 when the Bolsheviks overthrew the monarchy to establish communism also happening in America. Amid this agitation, the communist and anarchist proponents and their leaders were arrested en masse on New Year’s Eve in 1920 on criminal charges. This followed a series of bomb explosions in 1919, and an attempt on the life of Mitchell Palmer, the American Attorney-General that was blamed on the communists. Although most of those arrested were released a few weeks later, however, their main leaders, Bartolommeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco were charged and later sentenced to death. Following these, on September 16, 1920, a horse-drawn cart loaded with dynamite explosives at the corner of Broad and Wall streets in downtown Manhattan killing 39 people, mostly workers at the financial district, injured hundreds and destroyed property of enormous value (Gage, 2009). Although the attackers were never arrested, suspicion fell on Anarchists or Communists. This hardened the government’s resolution to eliminate the groups completely. Modern Terrorism in America Terror Social Groups in America In the 1970s and 80s, terrorism in America took a new turn through agitations for different courses, beliefs and ideologies. White supremacists and neo-Nazi groups like the Aryan Nation sprang up apparently to fight for one course or the other. Radical Christian groups also emerged. These included Michael Bray’s “Army of God,” whose aim was to fight abortion and those helping procure it. The group was later accused of plotting several bombing campaigns against abortion clinics, charges that led to Bray serving four years in prison. New York Bombing Plot of 1993 This is one of the prime terror plots to be thwarted in the history of America. Its design was aimed at inflicting as many casualties as possible. The attack was planned by Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, a blind New York Islamic preacher and some of his followers. Had it succeeded, it would probably have killed thousands of people and result in destruction of property since the target area was unusually wide. Among the targets were the Holland Tunnel, the United Nations Headquarters, George Washington Bridge, the FBI’ s Jacob K. Javits Federal Building and the Lincoln Tunnel for bombing. The sheikh and his co-accused were arrested, taken to court, convicted and handed sentences ranging between 25 year and life in prison. Oklahoma Bombing The new face of modern terrorism in America is probably best presented by the April 19, 1995 bombing of Alfred P. Murrah Building, a seven-storey government building in Oklahoma. On this day, a truck laden with a 4000 pound cargo of explosives was detonated next to the building, reducing most of it to glass shards, concrete and steel and rubble. The perpetrator of this terror attack was a twenty-seven-year-old former soldier, Timothy McVeigh, who apparently committed the act to defend the constitution through revenge against a government that, according to him, was intrusive and oppressive. This act of terror left in its trail 168 people dead and more than five hundred injured. Property worth millions of dollars was destroyed. McVeigh was later arrested, charged in a court of law, was convicted and sentenced to death. It is not clear what the real motives were, or if there was a bigger scheme in the bombing than was obvious in many people’s eyes. September 11, 2001 Terror Attacks Probably the most innovative, daring and secretive terror attack ever, the September 11 2001 terror attack in America was among the largest attacks in the history of global terrorism. The attackers allied to al Qaeda terror network led by Osama Bin Laden went to America and joined local flying schools. They trained as pilots over several years. On the day of attacks, the nineteen attackers boarded five different domestic flights and once airborne, hijacked the planes and flew them right into landmark buildings representing American military and commercial power – the Pentagon and the twin towers of the World Trade Centre (Bresnahan et al., 2001). The death and devastation that followed were of enormous magnitude. More than three thousand people were killed and thousands injured. The twin towers were reduced to rubble as was a section of the Pentagon building. This attack led to what came to be known as War Against Terror. This involved America and allies attacking and toppling the Taliban led Afghanistan government. This government was accused of harboring Laden and the masterminds of the attack. The next frontier was Iraq where the leader, Saddam Hussein, who was accused of accumulating weapons of mass destruction, was toppled, captured, charged in a court of law and hanged a few years later. Discussion Terrorism in America has existed over a long time, each time in a different shade and for a different reason. While the early terrorists who engaged in violence that set the country free from British rule had nationalistic objectives, the latter merchants of terrorism had religious, political or personal courses and reasons, some of which were vague at best and not easy to understand. Timothy McVeigh of the Oklahoma bombing did not have convincing reasons about how the government was oppressing or intruding into people’s affairs. It is not even clear why he thought killing people going about their business was the best way to send his message across. His actions were purely criminal in nature. The KKK, communists, and anarchists had their agenda driven by the desire to impose their wills on the American society. Some of them were driven by superiority complex, selfishness and cheap egos as was the case with KKK. Others like those propagated by the anarchists and communists were ideological but presented wrongly. While not everyone was ready for communism in America, this group of people propagated it as the only cure to economic inequalities in the country and even sought to impose it forcefully (Gage, 2009). This could not work. Adding terror to it only made it fail further. The thwarted 1993 planned bombings on key installations in New York by Sheikh, Omar Abdel-Rahman and his followers and the al Qaeda inspired attacks on September 11 apparently aimed at showing anger on American Imperialism and support to Israel against Palestinians. This anger among Islamist radicals and their supporters remain the greatest potential cause of modern terrorism in America. This is because the government has responded by putting sanctions and waging wars and overthrowing governments in Islamic countries deemed supportive of these acts of terror. This happened in Afghanistan and Iraq soon after September 11, 2001. Terrorism caused by Islamic radicals is, therefore, hard to finish since the relations between America and Israel are based more on American Foreign Policy. This policy is what has emboldened radicals in their resolution to terrorize the country (Bresnahan, 2001). Nevertheless, the perpetrators do not appear to be winning on this front. Their actions only help alienate them further from public opinion. Predictions and Recommendations It is not always that individuals feel they are treated fairly. This feeling may lead to desperation and eventually acts of terror. However, terrorism should be eradicated at all cost from civilized societies. Diplomacy and justice should always prevail whenever there are serious disputes and disagreements among the populace. Strong laws should be imposed and should always be fair to all. This would give a chance for agitated parties to present cases in a court of law for determination. This is the only way through which civilized societies can co-exist despite conflicts. However, the courts should always discharge their mandates in a fair manner. Justice should be accessible and affordable to all. This is because when it is not accessible or affordable, a section of the society would often feel alienated and the result is resistance, revolt and terrorism. Despite these, stiff penalties should be meted on all those bent towards destabilizing the social order through violence and terrorism. These two vices should never be given a chance by existing laws. Stiff punishments should serve as a warning to individuals bent on terrorism that their primitive and barbaric actions can not be tolerated by the society. Finally, the Palestinian question should be discussed and a solution arrived at by all parties involved. This single issue is the main cause of modern terrorism by Islamic radicals and remains the greatest threat to security unless it is comprehensively resolved. This calls for a review of American-foreign policy on Palestine. References Bolt, J. (2011). Terrorists or freedom fighters: Whats the difference? Acton Institute. Retrieved from http://www.acton.org/pub/commentary/2001/11/14/terrorists-or- freedom-fighters-whats-difference. Bresnahan, D. M., & Kinchlow, B. (2001). 9-11: Terror in America. Waxahachie, Tex.: Windsor House. Courtois, S., & Kramer, M. (1999). The black book of communism: Crimes, terror, repression. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Gage, B. (2000). They called themselves the K.K.K.: The birth of an American terrorist group. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Gage, B. (2009). The day Wall Street exploded: A story of America in its first age of terror. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Zalman, A., (2012). Definitions of terrorism. About.com. Retrieved from http://terrorism.about.com/od/whatisterroris1/ss/DefineTerrorism_5.htm Read More