Terrorism and the War on Terror Flashcards
What is the definition of terrorism ?
More than 100 definitions!
“Calculated use of violence to intimidate civilians in pursuit of goals that are political, religious, or ideological”
What is the clash of civilizations theory ?
SamuelHuntington
* Civilizations/cultures will fight
* War less about economics, politics, ideology
* West vs . the rest is main conflict
Western, Japanese, Confucian, Islamic, African, Hindu, Slavic-Orthodox, Latin American
Non-western countries team up against the West
What is the counter view to the clash of civilization ?
- More about power, inequality, policy
Ex: West allied to Saudi Arabia, Indonesia - Civilizations are not homogenous: power inequality within states
- More commonalities than differences across cultures
What are the different varieties of terrorism ?
- International vs. domestic terrorism
- State (or “state-sponsored”) vs. non- state terrorism
- Freedom fighter vs. terrorist
- Combinations
What are the historical origins of terrorism ?
French revolution, 1789-1799
- Monarchy overthrown leads to Robespierre’s Reign of Terror, 1793-1794 by Terrorists
- 18,000-40,000 killed
“If the basis of a popular government in peacetime is virtue, its basis in a time of revolution is virtue and terror – virtue, without which terror would be barbaric; and terror, without which virtue would be impotent.“
What are three examples of terrorism ?
- World Trade Centre attacks (9-11)
- Beheadings
- Dylann Roof
- Cuba hit and run attacks (e.g., Operation Mongoose)
* Contras against Nicaragua’s elected government
What occurred in Gaza in 2009 ?
Attacks on Gaza by Israeli forces
Goldstone: “the Mission concludes that what occurred in just over three weeks was a deliberately disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorize a civilian population”.
What is Al Qaeda ?
Conventional view: integrated, tight-knit, tentacles around the world answering to bin Laden
- Origins in 1980s but until 1996-2001, OBL one among many terrorists
What are the historical roots of 9-11 ?
- Soviet invasion and occupation, 1979-1989
- Soviet Union’s Vietnam
– 15,000 Soviets killed
– 1-2M Afghans killed
Followed the mujahideen’s insurrection, at the root of the rest of the conflict.
Explain the mujahideen’s inssurection ?
Afghan civil war, 1978-present
- US support starts before Soviet invasion, might provoke Soviets
- US/CIA financial support ($ billion) through Pakistan (ISI)
- Some mujahideen trained in US
How has this conflict been represented in the media ?
- Rambo III (1988) - Supports the Mujahideen
“freedom fighters” against Soviet occupation - Charlie Wilson’s War - 2007 movie on Congress man who pushed for support for Mujahideen
What is the demographic of Afghans Arabs like at the time ?
35,000 radical Muslims from 43 countries along Afghan mujahideen
Total of 100,000 with madrassas in Pakistan
Support from mostly Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, but also US
Who is Osama bin Laden ?
Contributions to Mujahideen insurrection through MAK
MAK forerunner of al-Qaeda
Direct contacts with CIA unclear
Which atrocities took place in the 1990s concerning the mujahideen ?
1992: fighting among Mujahideen groups
- Kabul shelled
- 65,000 dead
- Rapes and murders
What is the Taliban regime and how is it initially perceived ?
1996-2001
- Brought stability
- Human rights atrocities
- Northern Alliance opposition (support from the US of mujahideen which had lost to the Taliban)
What is the blowback from the Afghan Arabs groups world-wide ?
After Afghanistan campaign (1989), Afghan Arabs spread to many countries
– Algeria, Bosnia, Chechnya, Pakistan, Tanzania, Kenya, etc.
– And US!
- Some attacks linked to Al Qaeda, others are not.
Describe Al-Qaeda’s structure between 1996 and 2001.
Provides a central focus and resources for disparate Islamic militant elements, based in Afghanistan
Is hardcore
– 12 + 100 leaders
– Run OBL’s organization
Coopted groups
– Dynamics relationship
– But local factors also important
* Ideology
– Worldview of radical Islamic militancy
* Range of AQ’s involvement in terrorist attacks
What are the 1998 bombings ?
Tanzania and Kenya US embassies
Al Qaeda / bin Laden are directly involved
What are the 9/11 attacks ?
WTC, Pentagon, Pennsylvania
3,000 dead
19 hijackers (15 Saudis)
What was the organization of the 9/11 attacks like ?
AQ hardcore
– Supervision, finance (extent unknown)
* 2-3 groups of hijackers
– Hamburg cell (pilots: e.g. Atta): allied itself with OBL for resources
– “Passenger containers”
What is Al-Qaeda like post-9/11 ?
- Core and networks scattered, captured, and/or destroyed
Weakening of Al Qaeda as a resource and central focus
- But the Al Qaeda idea stronger than ever
Military response to 9-11 increased terrorist threat worldwide
- Increasingly autonomous terrorist groups
2004 Madrid bombings
- AQ ideology spreading, new leaders emerging
What are the factors that may have pushed Al-Qaeda to conduct these attacks ?
Bin Laden’s 1998 fatwa
– Against US foreign policy – US bases in Saudi Arabia – Support for dictators
– Sanctions on Iraq
– Israel killing Palestinians
Vast majority of Muslims do not support OBL’s methods, but may identify with his causes
What is a possible appropriate response to this crisis ?
Determine who is guilty
- Bring the guilty to court and have an international trial
- Use force only if necessary, perhaps international police force
What was the Taliban’s response to the US extradition request ?
US wants OBL, al-Qaeda leaders delivered
- Taliban: ready for trial of OBL if evidence provided
- Taliban agree to extradite OBL
- US, UK reject offers
- No solid evidence at time of attack
What is the response that followed 9-11 ?
US/UK bombing
* NorthernAlliance – $ million
– Support and protection
* Taliban ousted quickly
* Thousands dead
What were Ireland’s contributions to this aftermath of 9/11 ?
Shannon airport
2.5 million US troops – Torture flights (CIA)
7 Irish troops in Afghanistan
What are the authors (and date) of readings relating to this topic, along with the reading’s main point ?
- Greenwald (2015) - The text highlights a double standard in labeling acts of violence as “terrorism,” depending on the perpetrator’s identity, particularly if they are Muslim. The text argues that the term “terrorism” is subject to manipulation for political and ideological purposes, and it lacks a consistent, objective definition.
- Solotaroff (2022) – describes the base as a violent white supremacist group described in the text. They hold extremist beliefs and advocate for the establishment of an ethnostate. The text reflects on the personal toll that undercover work can have on agents, including the strain on family life and the emotional weight of witnessing extremist ideologies and violence.
- Huntington (1993) - The text discusses the clash between the Western idea of a “universal civilization” and the particularistic values of most Asian societies, emphasizing what distinguishes one people from another. It highlights the distinction between modernizing (adopting modern technologies, economic systems, etc.) and westernizing (adopting Western cultural values, political systems, etc.) for non-Western societies.
- Chomsky (2003) - Chomsky emphasizes the importance of defining terrorism objectively, without political bias. He argues that acts of violence targeting civilians for political purposes, whether by state or non-state actors, should be considered terrorism. He therefore discusses state terrorism and keeps supporting the media’s role in shaping this different perception.
- Shannon Airport Leaflet - Misuse of Shannon Airport: Shannon Airport has been used by the US military for almost two decades, effectively serving as a forward operating base to support operations in the Middle East.
