Latin American Influences on Terrorism

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Latin American Influences on Terrorism

• Robert W. Taylor, Ph.D.
• University of North Texas

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Latin American Influences on Terrorism

• Franz Fanon
• MD -
• Wretched of the Earth, Black Skins in White
  Masks, A Dying Colonialism
• Advocated violent revolution
• Impacted the way we think about Colonialism
• Algerian Revolutionary (1954 ish)

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Latin American Influences on Terrorism

• Ernesto Che Guevara
• Cuban Revolution of 1956
• (Fidel Castro)
• Popularization of revolution
• MD - Fought against poverty
• and repression
• Guerrilla Warfare-- Revolutionary Guide - 1969
• Isolated groups merge into guerrillas, then into
  a conventional force (begins in the countryside,
  similar to Mao versus Marx)
• Terrorism is limited, a commando type tactic

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Latin American Influences on Terrorism

• Carlos Marighella
• Brazilian Leader - 1965 ish
• The Minimanual for the Urban Guerrilla
• Move violence from the countryside to the city
• Organize terror in the city
• Basis of revolution in VIOLENCE
• Violence should be urban-based and controlled by
  small groups of guerrillas (cell structured)
• Targets should be symbolic

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Latin American Influences on Terrorism

• The Tupamaros
• Uruguay in the 1960s
• Urban oriented, student oriented
• MLN - National Liberation Movement
• Raul Sendic and Maria Gilio
• Human idealists -- Marxist in the purest form
• Suppressive government and torture led to
  credibility
• The model terrorist group (Copied by ALL)
• Armed robbery and Kidnapping

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Latin American Influences on Terrorism

• Common Denominators ..
• POVERTY/CLASS STRUCTURE(Works of Regis Debray)
• GOVERNMENTAL OPPRESSION AND VIOLENCE (MARXIAN
  IDEALS)
• ROLE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
• Liberation Theology (Gustavo Gutierrez, Pablo
  Friere)
• HIGHLIGHTED POLITICAL EVENTS
• Killing of Nuns/Priests - Archbishop Oscar Romero
• Widespread Revolution in El Salvador, Nicaragua,
  Panama, Peru, Guatemala, Chile
• U.S. GOVERNMENTAL EMBARRASMENT

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Liberation Theology

• Life is described in an historical concept of
  suffering To live is to suffer, to be born is
  to become a victim.
• Memory is haunted by ghosts of historical past
  (e.g., South Africa, slavery, Holocaust, mass
  genocode)
• Human suffering is the result of economic class
  separationhence, poor suffer !

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Liberation Theology

• Liberation theology rethinks human existence,
  Christian tradition, and present Christian
  experience
• Suffering and its quest for freedom is the
  fundamental reality of human experience as well
  as the location of God, Christ and the Church
  HENCE
• God and Christ are found in the suffering and the
  oppressed of the earth

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Liberation Theology

• A new and revolutionary interpretation of
  Christianity, combining faith and politics as
  part of the ongoing Christian practice and
  conversion to God and neighbor
• Rooted in the historical colonization of Latin
  America marked by oppression and domination
• Gustavo Gutierrez The Theology of Liberation
• Paulo Friere The Revolutionary Priest

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Liberation Theology

• It is with the poor that God is found Jesus
  ministered to the poor, the sick, and the
  oppressed
• Colonialism crushes the people and destroys the
  individualliberation is the link both
  politically and spiritually
• How can you tell someone they are a child of
  God when they are poor, distressed, sick, and
  oppressed?

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Liberation Theology and Marxism

• Parallel areas
• General economic-social-political dialogue (class
  conflict) relating to Latin America
• The philosophical categories of history and
  anthropology rooted in the oppression of the
  masses for the benefit of the few
• Christianity and particularly the Catholic Church
  were the opiate of the masses and provided
  justification for early colonization
• Advocate certain political options (including
  violence and revolution) in specific situations.

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Final Thoughts on Liberation Theology

• Christian faith is based in praxis, with a
  vision of the liberating God/Jesus model.
  Christianity is doing it
• God/Jesus (salvation) is found in this praxis
• Theology is a process theology must be
  constantly self-critical, acknowledging its own
  participation in past historical blunders, and
  attempting to place itself into current social
  consciousness
• Is Liberation Theology Todays Christianity ???
• What is the role of Christianity in helping the
  poor and the oppressed ???
• If not you then who? If not now, then when?
  (Hillel the Elder)

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The Eight Beatitudes (Matthew 53-10)

• "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the
  kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn,
  for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the
  meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
  Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for
  righteousness, for they shall be satisfied
• Blessed are the merciful, for they shall
  obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure of heart,
  for they shall see God. Blessed are the
  peacemakers, for they shall be called children
  of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for
  the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the
  kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 53-10)

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Other Ethnic/Ideological Groups based on Latin
American Theorists

• Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
• Sri Lanka
• A word about the Black Tigers
• Kurdish Workers Party (PKK)
• Abdullah Ocalan and Narco-Terrorism
• Its all changed since the Iraq War
• Basque Nation and Liberty (ETA)
• Spain
• Chechnya
• Russia
• Palestinians
• Israel

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Questions and Discussion