Terrorism and Security Practice Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, organizations, historical events, and theories from the Terrorism and Security lecture notes.

Terrorism

The act of using violence to create fear in order to pursue a political ideology, influenced by sociological, psychological, and moral factors.

Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)

A domestic terrorist group primarily operating in California's San Francisco Bay Area characterized by a seven-headed cobra symbol representing strength and unity.

Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG)

A foreign criminal organization originated from Jalisco, Mexico, run by "El Mencho," primarily focused on economic goals like drug and weapon trafficking.

Domestic Terrorism

Terrorism that originates within a country, often more frequent and harder to detect than foreign threats.

Irish Republican Army (IRA)

A group that used bombings and attacks to fight for independence from British rule, regarded by some as terrorists and by others as freedom fighters.

Nat Turner and John Brown

Historical figures whose actions showed how the United States historically responded to politically motivated violence with hard punishment and increased security.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Established in $1908$, this federal agency is responsible for enforcing U.S. laws and preventing domestic terrorism within the country.

USA PATRIOT Act

Legislation passed in $2001$ to expand the government's ability to detect and prevent attacks through increased surveillance.

Al-Qaeda

A foreign terrorist group founded in $1988$ by Osama bin Laden, responsible for the September $11$, $2001$ attacks to establish Islamic governance.

Dawson Noah Maloney

A $23$-year-old student whose $2026$ attack on an energy facility near the Hoover Dam was treated by the FBI as a terrorism-related event due to political motivation.

Oklahoma City Bombing

A terrorism incident in $1995$ where Timothy McVeigh killed $168$ people using a truck bomb to destroy a federal building.

United States Secret Service

Established April $14$, $1865$ to combat counterfeiting, but pivoted to full-time presidential protection after the assassination of William McKinley in $1901$.

Leon Czolgosz

An American anarchist who assassinated President William McKinley on September $14$, $1901$, as an act of domestic terrorism.

Anarchism

A political ideology that rejects all forms of government authority and advocates for a society based on voluntary cooperation.

Emma Goldman

A Russian anarchist activist deported from the U.S. on December $21$, $1919$ because her beliefs and activism were viewed as a threat.

Mexican Punitive Expedition

A military campaign from $1916$ to $1917$ led by the U.S. to capture Pancho Villa after his raid on Columbus, New Mexico.

Sykes-Picot Agreement

A $1916$ agreement between Britain and France that established artificial borders in the Middle East, ignoring local aspirations for independence.

Balfour Declaration

A $1917$ document expressing British support for a national home for Jews in Palestine, which created long-term instability in the Middle East.

Hezbollah

Also known as the "Party of God," this Lebanon-based group was founded in $1982$ and is led by Hasan Nasrallah with support from Iran.

Conflict Theory

A perspective suggesting that society is shaped by struggles between groups with unequal power, explaining terrorism as a reaction to oppression.

Socialism

An economic and political system where production is owned by the public or the state to distribute resources more equally, sometimes allowing for private property.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Established November $25$, $2002$ to coordinate national efforts to protect against terrorist threats and safeguard critical infrastructure.

Title $18$ U.S.C. § $2339B$

A federal law making it illegal to provide support or resources to organizations designated as foreign terrorist organizations.

John O’Neill

A former FBI agent whose experience highlighted weaknesses in national security, such as a lack of coordination and information sharing between agencies.

Differential Association Theory

The idea that people learn extremist values and criminal techniques from the individuals they associate with rather than developing them on their own.

Narcoterrorism

The connection between drug trafficking and terrorism, where cartels use violence to protect profitable drug operations.

Radicalization

The process through which individuals adopt extremist beliefs and justify violence as a response to perceived injustice or oppression.

Lone-wolf terrorism

Terrorist acts carried out by individuals working independently without direct orders or assistance from a larger terrorist organization.