Week 10: Violence and terrorism

Question 1

How does Kalyvas and Straus (2020) define political violence?

Answer 1

The use of force or coercion to achieve political ends, categorised into types such as interstate war, civil war, revolutions, state violence, genocide, and terrorism.

Question 2

What are the key characteristics of terrorism?

Answer 2

• Use or Threat of Violence: To instill fear.
• Symbolic Victims: Targets chosen for their representation (e.g., public spaces, iconic figures).
• Psychological Objective: Focused on manipulating perceptions, not just physical damage.
• Intentionality: Premeditated acts with political or ideological goals.

Question 3

interstate war

Answer 3

Conflicts between nation-states (e.g. World Wars)

Question 4

Intrastate war / civil war

Answer 4

armed conflict within a country between organised groups

Question 5

insurrection

Answer 5

revolution -> overthrowing governments

Question 6

intercommunal violence

Answer 6

violent clashes between communities, often over ethnic or religious differences

Question 7

The main goal of terrorism is not physical damage but…

Answer 7

psychological impact on target audience -> spread fear and insecurity

Question 8

What is the difference between radicalism and extremism?

Answer 8

• Radicalism seeks political change and reform, often peacefully.
• Extremism rejects peaceful competition, often using violence for ideological supremacy.

Question 9

What is Bale’s (2018) fundamental questions that are answered by ideologies on terrorism and extremism?

Answer 9

• identify the cause of flaws or injustice
• pinpointing blame (who is to blame)
• proposing actions or solutions

Question 10

Ethno-nationalist terrorism

Answer 10

Focuses on achieving autonomy or independence for a specific ethnic or national group.

Question 11

Anarchist terrorism

Answer 11

Seeks to dismantle state structures and authority, advocating for self-governance and anti-establishment ideals.

Question 12

Left-wing terrorism

Answer 12

Driven by Marxist, communist, or socialist ideologies, aiming to overthrow capitalist systems.

Question 13

right-wing terrorism

Answer 13

Advocates for ultranationalist(an extreme form of nationalism), fascist, or anti-communist agendas, often targeting minority groups

Question 14

Religious terrorism

Answer 14

Motivated by religious ideologies or apocalyptic beliefs(belief in a catastrophic end of the world), aiming to establish a theocratic or divine order

Question 15

What are David C. Rapoport’s Four Waves of Terrorism?

Answer 15

• Anarchist Wave (1879–1914): Dismantling state authority through violence.
• Anticolonial Wave (1920s–1960s): Independence movements targeting colonial powers.
• New Left Wave (1960s–1980s): Marxist-socialist ideologies opposing imperialism and capitalism.
• Religious Wave (1980s–Present): Focus on divine authority, exemplified by groups like al-Qaeda.

Question 16

In the religious wave of evolution of terrorism, what does divine authority and apocalyptic outcome mean?

Answer 16

• divine authority: god-like government/authority
• apocalyptic outcome: catastrophic and world-changing outcome

Question 17

what is FBI Director’s (2020) definition of “Salad Bar Extremism”?

Answer 17

individuals driven by a “hodgepodge of ideologies”(mix of different ideas and personal issues) that result in incoherent belief systems mixed with personal grievances.

Question 18

Ideological Convergence definition in modern extremism

Answer 18

Suggests a merging of different ideological elements into a single, incoherent belief system.

Question 19

Fused Extremism:

Answer 19

Indicates the combination of multiple extremist ideologies, creating a hybrid form of radicalism.

Question 20

Hybrid Ideologies:

Answer 20

Points to the mixture of elements from various ideological frameworks, forming a new, unique set of beliefs.

Question 21

Fringe Fluidity:

Answer 21

Emphasises the fluid and dynamic nature of beliefs in fringe movements, where ideologies shift and overlap.

Question 22

Ideology a la Carte:

Answer 22

Refers to individuals “picking and choosing” elements from various ideologies to create their personalized extremist views.

Question 23

Idiosyncratic Extremism:

Answer 23

Describes highly individualised and unique extremist beliefs that do not align with any established movements.

Question 24

What is meant by the ‘Composite Violent Extremism’ (Gartenstein-Ross et al., 2023) and its four categories

Answer 24

• the increasing difficulty in categorising modern extremist attacks using traditional ideological frameworks -> makes sense of the proliferation of labels
• four categories: ambiguous, mixed, fused, convergent

Question 25

What is Composite Violent Extremism (CoVE)?

Answer 25

A framework for understanding modern extremism, blending multiple and sometimes contradictory ideologies, categorized into ambiguous, mixed, fused, and convergent forms.

Question 26

What are Anti-Government Extremism (AGE) characteristics?

Answer 26

• Ideological AGE: Broad opposition to governments (e.g., anarchism, white nationalism).
• Issue-Driven AGE: Focused on specific grievances (e.g., COVID-19 restrictions).
• Conspiracy Theories: Fuel distrust of governments and inspire violence.
  Attacks on Politicians and Institutions: Manifested through violence and threats.

Question 27

How do conspiracy theories influence extremism?

Answer 27

• Simplify complex societal issues.
• Rationalize opposition by blaming external forces.
• Often linked to violence, with a rise in attacks driven by such theories (e.g., QAnon, 5G conspiracies).

Question 28

What is accelerationism in Anti-Government Extremism (AGE)?

Answer 28

A violent strategy aimed at hastening societal collapse by provoking government overreactions and exacerbating social tensions.

Question 29

What characterizes anarchist conspiracy theories, and how are they different from right-wing theories?

Answer 29

• Focus: Anarchist theories critique systemic power and ‘techno-elite’ dominance, often targeting technological advancements or capitalism
• Right-wing theories are more organized and identity-driven, often linked to nationalism.
• Anarchist theories are less structured, emphasizing opposition to systemic and technological power structures.

Question 30

Is Right-wing AGE or Left-wing AGE more lethal

Answer 30

Right-wing is more organised and focused on structured, identity-driven ideologies -> thus more lethal and severe

Question 31

what are the two forms of AGE?

Answer 31

• Ideological AGE: Rejects government legitimacy entirely, often rooted in conspiracy theories.
• Issue-Driven AGE: Focuses on specific policies (e.g., COVID-19 restrictions, immigration), sometimes ceasing when policies align with their views.

Question 32

what is insurrectionary anarchism?

Answer 32

• adopts a leaderless resistance model emphasising decentralisation and informal coordination
• conspiracy in anarchist narratives are less coherent and structured compared to far-right conspiracy theories