Terrorism

TRIDENT UNIVERSITY

Kelly Hood

Module 1 Case Assignment

BHS411: Issues of Terrorism

Dr. Anna Toom

28 February 2011

Introduction

In this paper I will define terrorism, list criteria I used to define it, discuss how the criteria relates to the history and patterns of terrorism since 1945, and the reasons why acts of terrorism are committed. I will discuss Ahmads recommendations for dealing with terrorism, explain why the American revolution was not an act of terrorism, and how the role of Hezbollah has changed in Lebanon now making it a terrorist organization.

Terrorism

The reason I think that it is difficult to define terrorism is because it is a question of ethics, morals, and the situation. Different cultures throughout the world have different thoughts on what is right or wrong so if there is going to be a universal definition for terrorism all of the cultures would have to agree on what is right or wrong. The criteria used to define terrorism are the goals of the group and why are they committing terrorist acts; to be heard, express anger, feeling of betrayal, revolting from an oppressive government, or to influence a government and its policies. A terrorist act is the use of violence or the threat of the use of violence by a group to change another group’s opinion or policies.

Why Commit Terrorism

There are many reasons for a group to commit terrorist acts: advertising for a cause, to right a wrong done to them, to change government policy, religion, overthrow an oppressive government, and many others. The bombing of our embassy in Beirut in 1983 and our Marine Barracks in 1982 caused the United States to pull out of Lebanon, which was what the terrorists wanted. Terrorism is a cheap but effective way for a small group to influence a larger group by instilling fear and changing policies. The improvised explosive devices (IED) used in Iraq and Afghanistan are a prime example of this and because of the IEDs the way that we are fighting...