Terrorism Quiz 3

what is the importance of pre-incident scouting?

assess vulnerability
can show a plausible impact of an attack
can see if the attack is possible

what is the importance of post-incident film watching?

seeing if an attack worked the way it intended
can see visible impact
shift in target selection if inadequate

how is implementation important?

can the attack actually happen?

what is indiscriminate implementation?

having a general idea of a target, but no clear specific target

whats the most important part of indiscriminate implementation

as much damage as easy as possible, it is mindless slaughter in a sense

whats bad about indiscriminate implementation?

the political objective behind terror attacks is to push an ideology, and the constant mass random killings shows a group to be undecided on their goal

what is discriminate implementation?

the act of picking targets for their symbolic value, and what they represent / who they are

what is the most important part of discriminate implementation?

targeting based on symbolism more than sheer number. quality > quantity

political effects of discriminate implementation?

clearly outlines intents and goals, shows capability and intent

assessment of targetting?

what are the larger effects of attacks?

what type of political effects can terror attacks lead to?

government policy change
institutional behavior change
distribution of power change
government destabilized

how does the instrumental approach regard to target selection?

focus on the most rational action
attacks themselves a signaling mechanism
proper negotiations arent enough, they want their own voice
shows capability and resolve

what does the IA rely on to be properly executed?

correct interpretation of the symbolic message and proper demonstration to show legitmacy

how does the org. approach relate to target selection?

shows that a group has the capacity to carry attacks out
shows that they can outbid their competition

how does the psychological approach relate to target selection?

how much of an impact one can leave by an attack
the salience of the attack - the degree to which a violent incidence captures and holds the attention of a target audience

how does the ideological approach relate to target selection?

it is used to justify attacks via dehumanization / outgrouping
it helps build the legitmacy narrative

how does the structural approach relate to target selection?

the institutions themselves give groups the ability to form and later carry out attacks

how do institutions help groups carry attacks and form?

environments that reduce the costs of organized violence have more of it

what are some aspects of the structural approach that challenges terrorism?

strong foundational governments
generally preventing violence by making the risk too high
consequences for actions

what is target hardening?

the way governments behave to make terrorism harder to happen
they do this by: more costly, preventing symbolic areas from being attacked, and increasing costs

what is a proportional response?

a response to a terror attack that is proportionate to how damaging the terror attack is

what are the challenges of practical implications?

terrorists must learn what works / doesnt work
being able to change methodologies successfully
being able to properly escalate tension

how was suicide terrorism developed?

its diffusion → effective because how easy and cost-effective it is
impact → giving up lives to push an agenda is much more impactful to society than normal attacks
perception → a small group doing a massive attack can show how weak a government is

why is the adoption of suicide terrorism important?

Recognizing strategically suicide terrorism has an advantage over other acts of terror due to the pull to humanity it has

why is targeting more important with suicide terrorism?

correct targets matter more due to it being a one time attack, and also being an explosion most of the time, needing as much damage as possible

what is matyrdom?

someone dying for a cause and becoming glorified, becoming a religious-esque symbol

how does political opportunities prevent suicide terrorism?

providing ample opportunities for groups to express themselves non-violently

how does target fortification make it harder to carry out suicide terrorism?

makes it harder to carry out attacks and also increases chance of failure

what are challenges of practical implications of suicide terrorism

can change attack methods
can carry out suicide attacks in diff ways
can escalate
can cause rights to be removed

how does the instrumental approach relate to suicide terrorism?

target efficacy → the ability to achieve specific immediate goals or mission objectives efficiently using the bare minimum

how does the organizational approach relate to suicide terrorism?

competition and cooperation
coop specifically because the suicide bomber is a portrayal of the groups beliefs

psychological approach relation to suicide terrorism

found to be systematically different than others

ideological approach to suicide terrorism

justification → symbolic action meant to evoke specific moral or spirtual meanings to cause salience
collectivism → lowers the cost of adopting the tactic due to it makes it easier and reduces popular backlash

structural approach and suicide terrorism

social status → §  High levels of gender differentiation, polygyny, and limited marriage markets in Islamic societies may influence propensities to become suicide bombers

o   Political Exclusion