Terrorism Flashcards
What are the key readings?
Richards (2014)
What are the key points
Richards highlights the challenges in creating a universally accepted definition of terrorism.
Argues that terrorism should be understood as a form of political violence
Highlights how terrorism is defined by the psychological impact rather than violence
Role of the media
States may use counterterrorism policies to blur the lines between defence and repression
Argues that overly broad definitions of terrorism can lead to human rights violations.
Critiques the “War on Terror” approach and discusses its consequences, such as radicalisation.
Highlights the influence of security studies, criminology, and political science in conceptualising terrorism.
What is the definition of terrorism according to the Terrorism Act 2000?
Terrorism involves serious violence against a person, serious damage to property, endangers a person’s life, creates serious risk to public health or safety, or disrupts an electronic system.
Terrorism is designed to influence the government or intimidate the public for advancing a political, religious, racial, or ideological cause.
List the top 10 common elements of terrorism.
- Use of Violence or Force
- Political Motivation
- Creates Fear or Terror
- Threatening
- Psychological Impact
- Victims and Targets not the same
- Planned and Organised
- Tactic /method of Combat
- Breaks Accepted rules
- Coerces
These elements help define and understand the nature of terrorist acts.
What is the highest media coverage for NY times 2016?
Terrorism at 35%
True or False: Terrorism is solely based on individual motivations.
False
Terrorism is influenced by various factors, including societal, group, and individual levels.
Name drivers of conflict that can lead to terrorism.
Economic Deprivation
Educational Under-performance
Insufficient Political Representation
Discriminatory policing
These drivers can create environments conducive to the rise of terrorism.
What is the significance of the Global Terrorism Database (GTD)?
It tracks terrorism trends from 1990 to 2019, providing data for analysis and understanding patterns of terrorist activities.
The GTD is a crucial resource for researchers and policymakers.
What are some common causes of terrorism?
- Population Size
- Gender Inequality
- Human Rights Abuses
- Lack of Political Representation
- Rapid Economic Growth
- The Failure of Conventional Movements
- Catalyst Events
- Contagion
These factors can contribute to the emergence and escalation of terrorist activities.
What are some societal-level factors that contribute to terrorism?
- State support/sponsorship of terrorism
- Migration effects
- Foreign military occupation
- Climate change
These factors can exacerbate tensions and contribute to the conditions under which terrorism can thrive.
What are group and community level factors that can lead to terrorism?
Group ideology
Online and real world propaganda
Coercion
Group competition
Group recruitment strategies and tactics
What are some individual-level factors that can lead to terrorism?
- Peer & family influences
- Identity Dynamics
- Psychological Vulnerabilities
- Perception of grievances
- Quest for significance
Understanding these individual factors can help in addressing the root causes of terrorism.
What does ‘conflict contagion’ refer to in the context of terrorism?
It refers to the spread of conflict and violence from one area or group to another, often escalating terrorist activities.
This phenomenon highlights the interconnectedness of various conflicts.
What is the primary strategy of terrorism?
- Provoke
- Escalate
- Blame
- Endure
These strategies are often used to achieve the objectives of terrorist groups.
What are two factors from stopping terrorism?
Disengagement and deracialisation
What did Moghaddam (2009) say about disengagement and deradicalisation?
Related work has also often focused on applying theories on radicalisation to the issue of disengagement and deradicalisation
What is disillusionment?
The dominant push factor suggested for driving people away from involvement in terrorism and extremism
Who spoke about catalysts?
Silke et al (2021)
What are the 3 catalysts?
Actor
Psychological
Environmental
What are actor catalysts?
Family and Friends, Programme Interventions,
Who spoke about family?
Hakim and Mujahidah, 2020
What did Hakim and Mujahidah, 2020 say?
Family can be particularly important with regard to an often key role of re-establishing a family-based identity in the individual
Who spoke about interventions?
Umam & Milla (2020)
What did Umam & Milla (2020) say?
Reported on the impact of two different interventions – emotional expression training and cognitive flexibility training – used with 66 terrorist detainees in Indonesia
What are psychological?
Disillusionment, Mental Health
Who spoke about identity?
Hogg & Adelman (2013)
What did Hogg & Adelman (2013) say?
Identity issues have been flagged as a key factor in radicalisation processes
What effect can mental health have?
Mental health issues can play in radicalisation processes
Who spoke about disillusionment?
Latif et al (2019)
What did Latif et al say?
Disillusionment is a comparative process whereby the individual compares their current existence and interactions with their prior experiences and/or expectations
What are environmental?
Prison.
What effect does physical space have?
Flagged as potentially significant factors in a variety of models of radicalisation.
What effect does imprisonment have?
Imprisonment is a recurring facilitator of disengagement and deradicalisation
Who looked at the effects of prisons?
Chalmers 2017
Latif et al 2019
Webber et al 2017
What did Chalmers 2017 find?
Prison provides an opportunity for reflection
What did Latif et al 2019 find?
Prison physically distances the individual from the group and/or other extremist individuals
What did Webber et al 2018 find?
Prison provides an opportunity to engage with disengagement and deradicalisation interventions
