FREE ESSAY ON TERRORISM ESY

TERRORISM ESY

Terrorism
Over the past Century, terrorism has evolved from random killings to massive plans for
terrorist groups. To understand terrorism you must first describe it. There have been
many different definitions of terrorism. The one that truly describes it is; Terrorism
can not specifically describe terrorism because people will interpret it differently.
Many experts believe that terrorism is an abstract concept with no essence, a single
definition cannot account for all the possible uses of the term, many different
definitions share common elements, the meaning of terrorism derives from the victim of
target. Even with no definite conclusion terrorism can be divided into 5 categories:
Simple Violence or threatened violence intended to produce fear or change. Legal Criminal
violence violating legal codes and punishable by the state. Analytical Specific political
and social factors behind individual terrorist acts. State-sponsored Terrorist groups
used by small states and the Communist bloc to attack western interests. State Power of
the government used to terrorize its people into submission. With the definitions
described one can now put a terrorist organization into a specific group. The Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) is an analytical terrorist group, even though they can be
part of each. The PLO was created in 1964 during a meeting known as the Palestinian
Congress. This was an effort to give a voice to the many Palestinians that were located
in refugee camps in Lebanon. The leader of the group is one of the most recognized
terrorists in the world, Yasser Arafat. It did not take long for sub-divisions to break
off of the PLO. Most of these groups felt they could better achieve Palestinian
liberation. The most notable of these groups were the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Popular Democratic
Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, and al-Fatah. The PLO changed
its main theory to the destruction of the state of Israel in 1967. This caused massive
terrorist acts against Israel, which resulted in hundreds of casualties on both sides. In
1974 the PLO changed into not just a terrorist group to a group which included political
elements. Some members of the PLO did not like this idea and founded another sub-division
called the Rejectionist Front. At this time Arafat took over all control of the PLO.
Arafat provided support for highjacking a major cruise ship. With help from the PLF they
took the passengers hostage. In cowardly act members shot to death a wheelchair-bound
Jewish man named Leon Klinghoffer. This formed a new meaning to the world terrorist.
After many years of terrorism, Arafat ceased all terrorist acts by the PLO on September
9, 1993. This was the end of the PLO and all their sub-divisions. Another major terrorist
organization is the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). This group was founded in
1969 under the armed wing of Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein is a legal political movement dedicated
to removing British forces from Northern Ireland and unifying Ireland. Activities that
the PIRA carried out were bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, extortion, and
robberies. Before its 1994 cease-fire, targets included senior British Government
officials, British military and police in Northern Ireland, and Northern Irish Loyalist
paramilitary groups. Since breaking its cease-fire in February 1996, IRA's operations
have included bombing campaigns against train and subway stations and shopping areas on
mainland Britain, British military and Royal Ulster Constabulary targets in Northern
Ireland, and a British military facility on the European Continent. The PIRA had a few
different names, the Provo's and the IRA. They, the Catholics, wanted Britain out of
Northern Ireland and were going to anything to achieve their goal. Here is the group
structure for many if not all terrorist organizations: I. Command II. Active cadre III.
Active supporters IV. Passive Supporters I. Command - the leadership, makes policy and
plans while provides general direction. II. Active cadre - the terrorists, responsible
for carrying out the mission of the organization. III. Active supporters - largest
internal group and most important. They keep terrorists in the field by providing safe
houses, intelligence, logistical needs, and maintain communications channels. IV. Passive
supporters - difficult to identify and characterize, represent a favorable element of the
political climate. Most people think that most terrorist acts are taking people hostage.
This is not the case. Only 2 % of all terrorist acts are hostage situations. The most
acts terrorists participate in are bombings; they account for 46% of terrorist acts. The
rest of the numbers are like this; attacking - 24%, assassinations - 10, highjacking -
12, kidnapping - 6. These figures were accumulated from 1963-1993. Some may ask, what do
people do to stop terrorism. The most recognized form of counter-terrorism is the; The
Naval Special Warfare Development Group, formerly known as SEAL Team SIX and based in Dam
Neck, Virginia. They are responsible for US counter-terrorist operations in the maritime
environment. The NSWDG trains in both military and civilian facilities, their motto was
Train as you Fight, Fight as you Train. The members of NSWDG are trained hard in every
aspect one can take. They know how and what to do before they do it and their training
takes after their motto. In the past terrorist acts were mainly just bombings,
highjackings or attackings of some sort. As we move toward the millennium, we face a
technological era. All most every main city in the world is controlled and depends on
computers and linked information. The terrorist age will change to adapt to what we are
most vulnerable to. If a terrorist can threaten us by shutting down electronically
dependent devices which we need to survive. They will not assassinate or bomb as much
because the public will have a better understanding of how to prevent it. Terrorism in
the past years has been politically motivated, in the future; it will be religiously
motivated. This might cause a major problem in the future because each year more and more
people create or advance a religion to suit their liking. They now will have a sense of
what is supposed to be right and will do anything to get that across. Terrorism will
never end; it is up to the human race to be better educated in the subject and to make
the right dec