Terrorism: History and Typologies

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Terrorism History and Typologies
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International vs. Domestic

• International Terrorist violence involving the
  citizens (or territories of more than one
  country. Includes attacks on diplomatic assets,
  international humanitarian institutions and
  international corporate assets. Nature of the
  conflict sometimes makes it international
  (Kashmir) (NCTC).
• Domestic Terrorist violence involving the
  citizens of only one country.
  
• Why does this distinction matter?

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Available Statistics on Terrorism

• State Department Report, Patterns of Global
  Terrorism, (1986-2005), international only.
  
• Rand database (www.tkb.org). (1970-present),
  international until 1998, then domestic and
  international. Combines statistics from several
  organizations, including the National
  Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).
• International Terrorism Attributes of Terrorist
  Events (ITERATE) (1968-present), international
  only.
  
• Pinkerton Corporations Global Intelligence
  Service database (1970-1997), domestic and
  international.
  

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In France The Terror and Terrorism

• Originally an instrument of the state -
  Government of Robespierre whose Reign of Terror
  lasted from 1793 to 1794.
  
• 500,000 citizens arrested, 40,000 guillotined,
  200,000 deported, 200,000 died in prison from
  torture and starvation.
  
• Reign of Terror is followed by White Terror
  in which new regime hunts down old one down.
  
• Napoleon ended terror when he took power in
  1799.

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Propaganda of the Deed taken up against
Tsarist Russia

• Narodnaya Volya (Peoples Will) were anti-Tsarist
  constitutionlists/populists influenced by
  anarchist writings
  
• Considered first modern terrorist group
• Young ex-students of middle class backgrounds
• Attacked state officials and others of symbolic
  value
  
• Violence as means to achieve revolutionary change
  itself, and to mobilize masses for a democratic
  revolution
  

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Anarchist TerrorismLate 19th and early 20th
Century

• ANARCHISM
• The philosophy of a new social order based on
  liberty unrestricted by man-made law the theory
  that all forms of government rest on violence,
  and are therefore wrong and harmful, as well as
  unnecessary.
• Emma Goldman (1917)

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Anarchist Terrorism, Contd

• Anarchists active internationally, though not
  coordinated as many feared
  
• Anarchists opposed industry, capitalism,
  government, and oppressive social system.
  
• Assassinations and bomb attacks on political
  leaders, policemen, industrialists
  
• Propaganda of the Deed attacks designed to
  spark massive revolution
  
• June 28, 1913 Archduke Ferdinand of Austria is
  assassinated by a Bosnian Serb Anarchist,
  starting WWI.

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Some incidents of Anarchist Terror in the U.S.

• May 4, 1886 At a labor rally in Chicagos
  Haymarket Square, bomb thrown into crowd of
  policemen kills 7. Seven anarchists found guilty
  and sentenced to death.
• July 23, 1892 Anarchist shoots and stabs Andrew
  Carnegies steel manager, who survives.
  
• September 6, 1901 Leon Czolgosz shoots
  President McKinley, who eventually dies of his
  wounds.

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• Direct action, having proven effective along
  economic lines, is equally potent in the
  environment of the individual. There a hundred
  forces encroach upon his being, and only
  persistent resistance to them will finally set
  him free. Direct action against the authority in
  the shop, direct action against the authority of
  the law, direct action against the invasive,
  meddlesome authority of our moral code, is the
  logical, consistent method of Anarchism.
• Emma Goldman (1917)

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Anti-Colonial/Nationalist Terrorism1950s and
1960s

• Irish against the British (1880s and 1890s)
• Mau Mau in Kenya against the British (1950-1963)
• EOKA (National Association of Cypriot Fighters)
  against the British (1954-1960)
  
• Irgun Zvai Leumi (National Military Organization)
  in Palestine against British (1931-1948)
  
• Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) against
  the French (1954-1962)

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Nationalist Separatist/Ethnic Terrorism1960s-Pres
ent

• Front de Liberation de Quebec (FLQ) (1963)
• Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) (1959)
• Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) (1974)
• Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (1976)
• Puerto Rican Independent Armed Revolutionary
  Movement (MIRA) (1967-1971) and Armed Forces of
  National Liberation (FALN) (1974-1983)
  
• Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
  (PFLP) (1967)

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Nationalist Terrorism gives rise to International
Terrorism in 1968

• Palestinian skyjacking July 22, 1968
• PLO Representative to the UN in 1968
• The first several hijackings accomplished more
  for our cause than 20 years of pleading.
  

- Leila Khaled
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Skyjacking The Contagion Effect

• First skyjacking was in 1931
• 1947-1967 40
• 1967-1976 385
• 1987-1996 212

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Ideological Terrorism

• Leftist (Revolutionary)
• Rightist (Reactionary)
• Single-Issue
• Religious

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Revolutionary Leftist Terrorism of the Developed
World (1960s 1980s)

• Small membership
• Privileged leaders
• Sought to inspire popular uprisings to overthrow
  entire political system
  
• Also, violence as symbolism as liberating
  behavior as art
  
• No compromise possible
• Disappointed with the failures of Leftism the New
  Left and wanted to confront violent capitalist
  system with violence to undermine it
  
• Dont pose serious threat to governments

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Some Revolutionary Leftist Groupsin the
Developed World

• Red Army Faction (West Germany) (1968-1998?)
• Red Brigades (Italy) (1969-1982)
• Weathermen (U.S.) (1970s)
• Japanese Red Army (Japan) (1970-present)
• Action Directe (France) (1977?)
• Potere Operaio (Italy) (1968-1975)

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Revolutionary Leftist Terrorism in the Developing
World

• Led by intellectuals with peasant support
• Often in Latin America
• Terrorism is tactic used in larger guerilla war
• Increased use of terrorism when fight moves from
  rural to urban settings
  
• The groups have posed real problems for
  governmentsserious threat of revolution
  
• Fight against Leftist terror has empowered
  military to overthrow democratic governments in
  Turkey and Uruguay

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Some Revolutionary Leftist Groups in the
Developing World

• FARC, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia
  (1964)
  
• ELN, National Liberation Army, Columbia (1965)
• Shining Path, Peru (1980)
• Tupac Amaru, Peru (1984)
• Tupamaros, Uruguay (1962-1973)
• ALN, National Liberation Action, Brazil
  (1968-1974)

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Reactionary Rightist Terrorism

• Ku Klux Klan in the reconstruction era in the
  U.S.
  
• Active in Europe in the interwar years due to
  fear of rise of Leftists after Russian revolution
  and growth of Fascism in Europe.
  
• Emerged again in the 1970s as anti-Leftists
• And again in the 1990s as anti-immigrant or
  racist, anti-Semitic, anti-government
  
• Many in U.S. are offshoots from the Christian
  Identity Movement

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Some Reactionary Rightist Groups

• Black Order (Italy)
• Armed Revolutionary Nuclei (Italy)
• Viking Youth (West Germany)
• Purple Rose (Guatemala)
• Grey Wolves (Turkey)
• Revolutionary Left (Dev Sol) (Turkey)
  (1974-1980)
  
• The Order (US) (1983-4)
• Posse Comitatus (1971)
• Argentina Anticommunist Alliance (1974)
• Ulster Defense Association (UK)

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Viking Youth Webpage

• The Viking Youth
• Requirements for Membership
• Must be no younger than 14 years of age but not
  yet 18.
  
• Must be the child of the N.S.M. or other
  pro-white organization, or have written, signed
  and notorized letter of consent from parents.
  
• Must be of pure European or European decent.
• No blood lines to that of Jewish or non-white
  races.
  
• Males and Females both can join.
• Cannot be using drugs, smoking, or drinking.
• Must have a basic understanding of Racial loyalty
  and National Socialism.
  
• Must be willing to live by the Code and Law of
  the V.Y.C. as part of your daily life.
  
• Must be willing to obey regulations of the V.Y.C.
  in regards to activism, participation in N.S.M.
  activities, and obey the laws of the land.

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Southern Poverty Law Centers Hate Groups Map
(2004) http//www.splcenter.org/intel/map/hate.jsp
762 groups total in 2004
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Single-Issue Terrorism

• The Army of God
• Animal Liberation Front (ALF)
• Earth Liberation Front (ELF)

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Early Religious/Religiopolitical Terrorism

• Zealots/Sicari in Israel (100 A.D.) fought Roman
  occupation and other Jews who did not follow
  their teachings.
  
• Assassins in Iraq (1100 A.D.) fought crusaders
  with suicide tactics. Ismaili Shiites.
  
• Thugs in Indian (1300 A.D.) kidnapped travelers
  for sacrifice to Kali, Goddess of Terror.
  
• Anabaptist Münsterites in Netherlands (16th
  Century) waged campaign of terror against
  Catholics and Lutherans to purify the New
  Jerusalem and pave the way for the return of
  Jesus.

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Religiopolitical Terrorism in the 1980s and
beyond

• Use of religion as a pure cause or to mobilize
  support for religious and national causes
  
• Major religions, new interpretations, and cults
• Arose from failure of nationalist terrorism to
  achieve objectives
  
• Influence of the Iranian Revolution
• Arose at end of the Cold War when support for
  Leftist Nationalist groups from the USSR ended
  
• Alienation caused by modernization/urbanization

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Some Religious/Religiopolitical Terrorist Groups,
1980s - present

• Hezbollah (Party of God) (1982)
• HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement)(1987)
• Kahane Chai (formerly Kach or Thus) (Israel)
  (1990)
  
• Aum Shinrikyo (1987)
• Al Qaeda (1988)

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Is there a New Terrorism?

• More ideological/religious, less political
• More violent (greater number of fatalities per
  attack)
  
• Groups operate globally and are more diffusely
  structured
  
• Goals are not local
• Not beholden to state sponsors
• Better trained and possibly have access to WMDs

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State-Sponsored Terrorism

• Invented by Lenin as a legitimate means to
  subvert states in opposition to Russian
  revolution
  
• Emerged in mid-1980s as part of Cold War rivalry
  with North Korea and Bulgaria as sponsors, along
  with Soviet clients like Syria and Libya.
  
• Today sponsors are, according to government
  sources, are Iran, Syria, and Sudan. (Iraq and
  Libya used to be on this list).