With terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda being in the forefront of many peoples minds, terrorism has become an important topic in the last century. With most of the modern terrorist attacks being based on the western world people have started to become more concerned about a attack. There is no one set definition of terrorism since depending on the circumstances the definition can change but, the most common definition is the use of violence or intimidation in the pursuit of political aim.
What will terrorism look like in the next few years? Will they change their tactics or will groups such as ISIS crumble from within? To answer these question we need to take a look back at the past and see what were the causes and effects of terrorism. The first effect of terrorism is that it can be used to to command obedience in a populace. A cause of terrorism is that people feel that they have not been treated fairly by the government so they want to change it. Finally the patterns of terrorism has not changed all that much throughout the centuries.
Terrorism can be used by a government to force the citizens to be obedient. During the french revolution the Jacobin's used violence and intimidate their enemies and compel the state to cooperate. This was accomplished by doing mass executions by guillotine. Furthermore, it can be argued the the Nazi army used terrorism against the Jewish people in Germany. This was done by carrying out violent acts against them such as the burning of business and attacking them on the street. Also they these tactics to make them more obedient.
Terrorism can be used by citizens when they feel that they are being treated unfairly by the government. During the early 1900's the Irish republican army (IRA) wanted independence from the British government and used terrorism to accomplish their goals.
They did this by attacking multiple police stations and other symbols of British power. Also, they publicly killed a dozen police officers in a show of force and to demonstrate that they are more powerful then the British government.
Terrorism has followed a pattern of sorts for years and has lead to many different groups using some popular techniques. For
example, Al Qaeda has used suicide attacks to spread fear and was used in one of the most well know terrorist attacks in history, the attack on the twin trade towers. ISIS has been using suicide attacks on civilians in the middle east, they have also been using some of the tactics that the IRA had used such as pretending to be the protectors of some of the citizens. Furthermore, they have been using a new form of recruitment by using social media to appealing to teenagers and young adults.
Some people may argue that terrorism has not changed over the years and that ISIS and other modern terrorist groups are no different from the Jacobin's and the IRA. The history and recent events show that this simply is not true. In the past terrorism has
been conducted within a certain country or government but, with these new terror groups they have attacked government and countries all over the world. Also, they have adapted to the new world of technology. This can be shown by how they use social media to reach out to new demographics and the use of propaganda that depicts them as a actual government.
In conclusion history shows that terrorism has been around for centuries and during that time it has evolve and create new tactics as the circumstances demand. Furthermore, terrorist groups do not look like they will be disappearing any time soon because civilians and government throughout the world will never be truly able to agree on everything.
"History of Terrorism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 2016. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
"IRA." Deadliest Fiction Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016
"Al Qaeda Airs Sour Grapes About Islamic State - FPIF." Foreign Policy In Focus. Foreign Policy In Focus, 18 June 2015. Web. 25 Jan. 2016
"Reign of Terror | Publish with Glogster!" Glogster. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
"The Islamic State: Who Is ISIS? An Open Source Investigation." Global Research. James Corbett, 7 Sept. 2014. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
Terrorism can be used by citizens when they feel that they are being treated unfairly by the government. During the early 1900's the Irish republican army (IRA) wanted independence from the British government and used terrorism to accomplish their goals.
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| IRA soldiers in Belfast |
Terrorism has followed a pattern of sorts for years and has lead to many different groups using some popular techniques. For
Some people may argue that terrorism has not changed over the years and that ISIS and other modern terrorist groups are no different from the Jacobin's and the IRA. The history and recent events show that this simply is not true. In the past terrorism has
In conclusion history shows that terrorism has been around for centuries and during that time it has evolve and create new tactics as the circumstances demand. Furthermore, terrorist groups do not look like they will be disappearing any time soon because civilians and government throughout the world will never be truly able to agree on everything.
Citations
"Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Jan. 2016. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
"History of Terrorism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 2016. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
"IRA." Deadliest Fiction Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016
"Al Qaeda Airs Sour Grapes About Islamic State - FPIF." Foreign Policy In Focus. Foreign Policy In Focus, 18 June 2015. Web. 25 Jan. 2016
"Reign of Terror | Publish with Glogster!" Glogster. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
"The Islamic State: Who Is ISIS? An Open Source Investigation." Global Research. James Corbett, 7 Sept. 2014. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
This was quite an interesting topic but i think that there are some concepts you should go more in depth about, such as the many different acts terrorism can be preformed through. Yes, you did glance over the topic but i feel that if you went more in depth readers would be able to fully understand how it can be achieved. Also, i am interested in your thoughts of which form of terrorism is the most effective and why? On another note, I do agree with you that "terrorism has been around for centuries and during that time it has evolve and create new tactics as the circumstances demand". This is shown how it adapts to the common world to take advantage of the technology at its disposal. How else do you think this is shown? But as i said before, interesting blog.
ReplyDeleteReading about where the future of terrorism could go was quite interesting, and I think you did a good job of touching on the past of terrorism and where it could go in the future based on the historical precedent, however do you feel like based on the nature of many terrorist groups such as ISIL, being as unwavering as they are due to their core beliefs, that their methods of terrorism will remain constant in the future? In addition, I feel that you could have touched on more types of terrorism that exist today, rather than mainly Jihadism. For example, in recent years there have been many instances of eco-terrorism, a topic that has many nuances as well. Finally, I think it would have been useful to discuss the religious reasons for Jihad when talking about groups like Al Quida and ISIL. On this topic, it would be prudent to go into the history of religious wars, as there are many examples of these and they often carry on for decades, as the conflicts in the middle east have. These connections would have been beneficial to mention, and would have strengthened your post. Overall an interesting post that I was glad to have read :0
ReplyDeleteCallum, I really enjoyed the way you put this blog together. In reading this post, I can see how terrorism has evolved overtime through different tactics and tools. This also helps me see terrorism in a new way, when speaking of governments in the past that used a forceful approach towards the people. I do think it is important to highlight that yes, terrorism has become an issue today partly because of disagreements between government and civilians. However it doesn't end there, as it is also important to look deeper into the situation and see as to why the West has a role in fueling the motives of attack by terrorists. With Western countries, prominently the United States and British armies, getting involved in Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq, through invasion and occupation; the Iraq effect has taken place. Along with these interferences came hundreds of thousands of civilian lives lost. Because America first entered into Iraq, Richard Clarke (a white house counterrorism czar) says “if it were not for the American invasion of Iraq, and the subsiquent disbanding of the Iraqi army by the United States, there would be no ISIS” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFph7-L-Jug at 6:31). So overall, if the Western World wants to eliminate the expansion and occurrences of acts of terrorism, then the concerned country should not consider interfering in other countries affairs. In doing so, interference will not become an issue, and revenge will not become an underlying motive for violence. Maybe it can be said that the American army doesn't terrorize people the way ISIS does through bombings, but they still do terrorize, through fear, manipulation, and force, just like you discussed using the example of the Jacobins in the French Revolution.
ReplyDelete