The Evolution of Terrorism - Essay Example

The Evolution of Terrorism The disastrous 9/11 terrorist attacks have led not just to a new age of public consciousness about the dangers of terrorism, but also a growth in awareness about what encourages terrorism and how they can be stopped from performing their terrible attacks. Terrorism has been present for centuries. In spite of being in existence much earlier than the modern nation-state, the exercise of terrorism by regimes and groups that challenge their authority is still not well understood. Although the definition of the term ‘terror’ is precise, when it is associated with perpetrators and actions in the actual world it becomes unclear. This is partly because of the changing historical elements of terrorism, especially the exercise of terror by perpetrators within a certain political and social setting. This essay identifies the significant historical elements of terrorism and how they have evolved since the attacks of 2001. A Historical Look at Terrorism The 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center revealed that the historical elements of terrorism had drastically transformed. Nowadays, terrorists are involved in a spate of mass murder and suicide across the globe. In the past it had been reasonable to think that there were boundaries that terrorists would not dare go beyond. After the large number of casualties on the 11th of September 2001, it was clear that there are terrorist groups that would dare break boundaries. Terrorism in the past was different from that after 9/11. The history of terrorism is not only Middle Eastern but also European, and not only religious but also nonreligious. However, there are several common elements that can be identified in the evolution of the elements of terrorism. The 9/11 attacks were a threatening new turn in an ancient tale of obsession with political violence and terror. The term ‘terrorism’ became part of the European vocabulary after the 1789 French Revolution. In the initial revolutionary period, it was mainly through violence and terror that the French governments attempted to force their revolutionary new order onto the hesitant masses. Consequently, the original definition of ‘terrorism’ was ‘rule of terror’ (Coaty 9). Such definition works as a powerful message that terror is usually at its most violent when exercised by dictatorial regimes against their own citizenry. However, in the 19th century, terrorism went through a historic evolution, becoming linked, as it remains until now, to nongovernmental organizations. An example is a small group of Russian rebels in the latter half of the 19th century. They willingly embraced the label ‘terrorist’. They created specific perspectives that were to become the trademark of later terrorist activities in numerous countries across the globe. This group of Russian rebels had faith in the planned assassination of tyrannical and oppressive leaders; they were certain that the advancing technologies of the period allowed them to attack quickly, openly, and accurately. In particular, they were confident that the Tsarist rule, which they were trying to overthrow, was truly corrupt and incompetent (Coaty 21). They publicized what has persisted to be the widespread terrorist misconception that hostile actions would inspire and ignite a revolution. Their attempts resulted in the killing of a tsar in the latter part of the 19th century, but that incident failed totally to create the revolutionary impact of which the terrorist group had envisioned. Terrorism remained for numerous decades related mainly to the killing of state leaders and political rulers. This was signified by the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand by Gavril Princip on the 28th of June 1914 (Coaty 23). This incident had set off the First World War. After World War II, terrorism expanded further outside political assassination. In several colonies of Europe, terrorist groups emerged, usually with two major goals. The first was apparent, which was to coerce the colonial rules, like France and Britain, to speed up their exit. The second goal was more indirect, which was to pressure the native peoples into accepting and advocating a specific group’s attempts at leadership after independence from the colonial powers. At times these tactics had a certain level of effectiveness, but not all the time. For instance, India’s emancipation in 1947 was primarily the outcome of the campaign of peaceful civil protests headed by Gandhi, not of terrorist acts. Terrorism remained alive even after the withdrawal of the leading European colonial powers in the 1950s and 1960s. Terrorism survived in numerous regions in reaction to numerous situations. In Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia there were assassinations of public officials and law enforcers, bombings of infrastructures, hijackings, and hostage-takings. In numerous terrorist operations, civilians were victimized. In certain instances governments were supportive of terrorist activities. The objectives and ideologies proclaimed by terrorists included not only radical nationalism and socialism, but also in some instances religious ideologies. Law, especially those establishing boundaries in armed conflict, could sometimes be set aside for a greater cause. The question now is how did some terrorist groups become linked to haphazard or unselective murders or massacres? When Palestinian terrorists captured and bombed some major airline in Jordan in 1970 but freed the passengers, these actions were seen by numerous people as terrifying. Afterward, in a matter of two years, several Israelis were killed in a Palestinian assault at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972 (Coaty 58). This incident revealed and signified a commitment to kill. This terrorist attack at Munich raised serious concerns and fears all over the world. An explanation given by these terrorists and those in the Middle East was that the Gaza and West Bank occupation of Israel was a use of terror against which counterterrorism was reasonable. A similar explanation was given as regards suicide bombings in 2001 and 2002 (Coaty 44). In several of these suicide bombings there emerged a new component which had not been apparent in the earlier Palestinian terrorist operations—Islamic religious fanaticism. A newly transformed terrorism revealed itself in the 1990s. Osama Bin Laden became head of a small extremist Islamic group known as Al-Qaida (Coaty 121). Its open declarations were a strange combination of religious fanaticism, disapproval of current Arab governments, inconsideration to the consequences of terrorist activities, and opposition to US hegemony. Numerous of its leaders now embraced the wider aspiration of opposing western hegemony, particularly in Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia. This is a new form of terrorism that had an ideology, linkages, and a system, that was not limited to a single state, and whose supporters were prepared to kill themselves provided that they could wreak havoc on their enemies, as they had committed in 9/11. Because their goals were unclear, prophetic, and ominous, there was not much room for any form of negotiation or conciliation. The concept of ‘terrorism’ is debatable—merely a handful of individuals aside from the Russian rebels of the 19th century have truly embraced the label ‘terrorist’. However, there are several common historical elements that can be identified within the continuously evolving concept of terrorism. First, it generally has an illegal nature, proclaiming to be the outcome of a rise of public sentiment or awareness. Second, it is rooted in a crude idea that several violent actions, usually against the symbols of the enemy’s dominance, will change the political environment in a positive manner. Third, it has become more and more engaged in victimizing civilians, usually with the intention of showing that the state is unable to defend its own territory and citizenry. And, lastly, terrorists widely take for granted the severe disgust of the common folks to activities of political violence. Conclusions The historical elements of terrorism discussed in this paper which have obviously evolved over the years are the objectives, targets, and tactics. In the past, during the 18th and 19th century, terrorist acts were mainly perpetrated to depose a dictatorial government and assassinate tyrannical and oppressive political leaders. Then after World War II, terrorism was used to force European colonial powers to grant independence to their colonies and acquire power for the post-colonial period. In the 20th century, the objectives and ideologies proclaimed by terrorists included not only radical nationalism and socialism, but also in some instances religious ideologies. And, afterward, since the 9/11 attacks terrorism began to engage in wholesale killings due to a number of reasons, mainly religious fanaticism, disapproval of current Arab governments, inconsideration to the consequences of terrorist activities, and opposition to US hegemony. Work Cited Coaty, Patrick. Understanding the War on Terror. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2012. Print. Read More