Session 5 Flashcards
Q: What is state-sponsored terrorism, and why do states support terrorist groups?
A: State-sponsored terrorism refers to governments providing financial, logistical, or diplomatic support to terrorist groups to achieve foreign policy objectives. States use terrorism as a cost-effective means of waging war through proxies, weakening adversaries, and avoiding direct confrontation.
Q: Why do modern terrorist organizations show increased interest in CBRN weapons?
A: Terrorists, particularly religiously motivated ones, seek Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) weapons to cause mass casualties and instill fear. The post-9/11 era saw groups like al-Qaeda attempt to develop or acquire such weapons, despite logistical and ethical constraints.
Q: How has the radicalization process changed in modern terrorism?
A: Radicalization has become faster and more decentralized, often happening online rather than through prolonged indoctrination. Social networks, propaganda, and grievances accelerate the process, leading to more spontaneous and unpredictable attacks.
Q: What are the common demographic characteristics of terrorists?
A: Terrorists are often young men in their early to mid-20s, but leaders tend to emerge in their late 20s or early 30s. Many terrorists are well-educated, with degrees in engineering, medicine, or technical fields, challenging the stereotype that terrorism is driven by poverty and lack of education.
Q: How do social networks influence terrorist recruitment?
A: Terrorists are often recruited through friends, family, or community connections rather than top-down recruitment. Many join because of existing social ties, including sports teams, religious study groups, or online communities.
Q: Why is the foreign fighter phenomenon a significant security threat?
A: Foreign fighters who train and gain combat experience abroad often return to their home countries with enhanced skills, making them more lethal and difficult to detect. Examples include Afghan Arabs post-Soviet war and ISIS foreign fighters in Syria.
Q: How has ISIS adapted to military defeats?
A: ISIS has shifted from territorial control to external terrorist attacks, including lone-wolf operations. The group uses social media for recruitment and radicalization, maintaining influence despite battlefield losses.
Q: What are the four key factors that drive radicalization, according to Hafez and Mullins?
Grievances (e.g., discrimination, oppression, Western intervention)
Social networks exploited by recruiters
Extremist narratives and ideologies
Enabling environments (e.g., training camps, social media, online radicalization)
Q: How has al-Qaeda persisted despite claims of its decline?
A: Al-Qaeda has expanded into new regions, using affiliates and decentralized cells to maintain operations. Even after the death of Osama bin Laden, the organization has adapted and continues to pose a major global threat.
Q: Why is the return of ISIS foreign fighters to Europe and North America concerning?
A: Many ISIS fighters have returned home with combat experience, potentially enabling new terrorist attacks in the West. Intelligence agencies fear a repeat of the 1980s Afghan Arab phenomenon, where trained jihadists fueled future conflicts.
Q: What are the Four Waves of Modern Terrorism, according to David Rapoport?
A: 1) Anarchist Wave (1880s–1920s)
2) Anti-Colonial Wave (1920s–1960s)
3) New Left Wave (1960s–1980s)
4) Religious Wave (1979–Present)
Each wave lasts approximately 40 years and has unique ideological motivations.
Q: What defined the Anarchist Wave of terrorism (1880s–1920s)?
A: - Inspired by anarchist movements seeking to abolish state power.
Used assassinations and bombings as “propaganda of the deed.”
Key events: The assassinations of Tsar Alexander II (1881) and U.S. President McKinley (1901).
Declined after World War I due to government crackdowns.
Q: What was the main goal of the Anti-Colonial Wave (1920s–1960s)?
A: - Aimed at overthrowing colonial rule and achieving national independence.
Used guerrilla warfare, assassinations, and bombings against colonial powers.
Key events: The Irish War of Independence (1919–1921), Algerian War (1954–1962).
Declined as colonies gained independence and former rebels became political leaders.
Q: What characterized the New Left Wave (1960s–1980s)?
A: - Inspired by Marxist-Leninist and anti-imperialist ideologies.
Targeted capitalist states, Western imperialism, and global corporations.
Used hijackings, kidnappings, and assassinations.
Key groups: Red Army Faction (Germany), Weather Underground (U.S.), Red Brigades (Italy).
Declined after the Soviet Union collapsed and counterterrorism efforts intensified.
Q: What triggered the Religious Wave of terrorism (1979–present)?
A: - Iranian Revolution (1979)
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979)
Rise of Islamist extremism and global jihadism
Key groups: Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Hezbollah, Hamas.
Features suicide bombings, mass-casualty attacks, and religious justifications for violence.
Q: How did terrorism become more transnational in the modern era?
A: - Each wave had global influence (e.g., anarchists, anti-colonial struggles, leftist movements, jihadism).
Terrorist groups collaborated across borders (e.g., PFLP working with European leftist militants).
Foreign fighters moved between conflicts (e.g., from Afghanistan to Syria).
Q: Why did the Anarchist Wave decline?
A: - Governments cracked down on anarchist networks.
The end of World War I weakened revolutionary movements.
Soviet Communism co-opted anarchist ideology, diverting radical energy.
Q: What factors led to the decline of the New Left Wave?
A: - Internal ideological fractures within leftist movements.
Increased counterterrorism efforts by Western governments.
The collapse of the Soviet Union (1991) reduced state support for Marxist insurgencies.
Q: What is the future of terrorism after the Religious Wave?
A: - Rapoport suggests waves last ~40 years, raising questions about a fifth wave.
Possible new waves:
Far-right extremism (white nationalism, neo-fascism).
Cyberterrorism (hacking, infrastructure attacks).
Ecological terrorism (eco-extremism, climate-motivated violence).
Q: Why is Rapoport’s Four Waves theory significant?
A: - It provides a historical framework to understand terrorism’s evolution.
Shows how each wave influences the next (e.g., anti-colonial struggles shaping modern jihadism).
Helps predict future trends in terrorism and counterterrorism policies.
Q: What is the main critique of David Rapoport’s Four Waves Theory?
A: Parker & Sitter argue that terrorism does not follow distinct historical waves, but rather persistent ideological strains that exist simultaneously and evolve over time.
Q: What are the Four Strains of Terrorism proposed by Parker & Sitter?
Nationalist Terrorism – Aimed at self-determination.
Socialist Terrorism – Inspired by Marxist and anarchist ideas.
Religious Terrorism – Driven by fundamentalist beliefs.
Exclusionist Terrorism – Focused on racial or sectarian supremacy.
Q: How does terrorism spread, according to Parker & Sitter?
A: Through contagion and learning, where terrorist groups imitate and adapt tactics from both contemporary and historical movements.
Q: What is an example of cross-strain influence in terrorism?
A: Hamas adopted suicide bombing after Hezbollah successfully used it in Lebanon. Similarly, Michael Collins’ Irish tactics influenced Zionist groups like Irgun.
Q: What is the role of “Patient Zero” in each strain of terrorism?
A: Each strain originates from a key figure:
Nationalist Terrorism → Felice Orsini (Italian nationalist).
Socialist Terrorism → Karl Heinzen (German anarchist).
Religious Terrorism → John Brown (Christian abolitionist).
Exclusionist Terrorism → Nathan Bedford Forrest (KKK leader).
Q: How does Nationalist Terrorism differ from other strains?
A: It focuses on self-determination and independence from foreign rule. Examples include the IRA, Tamil Tigers, and Palestinian Fatah.
Q: What are examples of Exclusionist Terrorism?
A: Groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), Nazi SA (Stormtroopers), Anders Breivik, and White supremacist terrorists who seek racial or sectarian dominance.
Q: How does Socialist Terrorism manifest in history?
A: Inspired by Marxist-Leninist and anarchist thought, it includes groups like Red Army Faction (Germany), Shining Path (Peru), and Red Brigades (Italy).
Q: What role does technology play in terrorism’s evolution?
A: New technologies expand terrorist capabilities, from suicide bombings and cyberterrorism to AI, surveillance evasion, and bio-terrorism.
