Terrorism

Before going in-depth I would like to elaborate what is Terrorism' Terrorism is not new, and even though it has been used since the beginning of recorded history can be relatively hard to define. Terrorism has been described variously as both a tactic and strategy; a crime and a holy duty; a justified reaction to oppression and an inexcusable abomination. Obviously, a lot depends on whose point of view is being represented. Terrorism has often been an effective tactic for the weaker side in a conflict. As an asymmetric form of conflict, it confers coercive power with many of the advantages of military force at a fraction ofthe cost. Due to the secretive nature and small size of terrorist organizations, they often offeropponents no clear organization to defend against or to deter. That is why preemption is being considered to be so important. In some cases, terrorism hasbeen a means to carry on a conflict without the adversary realizing the nature of the threat,mistaking terrorism for criminal activity. Because of these characteristics, terrorism has becomeincreasingly common among those pursuing extreme goals throughout the world. But despite itspopularity, terrorism can be a nebulous concept. The United States Department of Defense defines terrorism as “the calculated use of unlawfulviolence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidategovernments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, orideological.” Within this definition, there are three key elements—violence, fear, and intimidation—and each element produces terror in its victims. The FBI uses this: "Terrorism is the unlawfuluse of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, thecivilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives." TheU.S. Department of State defines "terrorism" to be "premeditated politically-motivated violenceperpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents,usually intended to influence an audience. Terrorism is a criminal act that influences an audience beyond the immediate victim. Thestrategy of terrorists is to commit acts of violence that .draws the attention of the local populace,the government, and the world to their cause. The terrorists plan their attack to obtain thegreatest publicity, choosing targets that symbolize what they oppose. The effectiveness of theterrorist act lies not in the act itself, but in the public’s or government’s reaction to the act. Forexample, in 1972 at the Munich Olympics, the Black September Organization killed 11 Israelis,the 9/11 Twin Tower destruction killed 2000 innocent American, and the recent 26/11 Mumbaiattack sponsored by Pakistan killed 193 innocent civilians and so on. There are three perspectives of terrorism: the terrorist’s, the victim’s, and the general public’s.The phrase “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” is a view terrorists themselveswould accept. Terrorists do not see themselves as evil. They believe they are legitimatecombatants, fighting for what they believe in, by whatever means possible. A victim of a terroristact sees the terrorist as a criminal with no regard for human life. The general public’s view is themost unstable. The terrorists take great pains to foster a “Robin Hood” image in hope of swayingthe general public’s point of view toward their cause. This sympathetic view of terrorism hasbecome an integral part of their psychological warfare and needs to be countered vigorously. Having said that I would like to draw few lines on The Effects of Terrorism Terrorism has occurred throughout history, but today the world is experiencing a global rebirth ofattacks. Today it no longer affects only small societies, such as isolated third world countrieswho fell victim to regular terrorist attacks, but the whole world is becoming more familiar withArab and Muslim names. The terrorist violence that is on the rise today has informed citizen all