POLS 494 Midterm

Political Science 494 Midterm Flashcards

Terrorism

a synthesis of war and theater, a dramatization of the most prescribed kind of violence - that which is deliberately perpetrated on civilian noncombatant victims - played before an audience in the hope of creating a mood of fear, for political purposes.

Mass terror

terror by a state, where the regime coerces the opposition in the population, whether organized or unorganized, sometimes in an institutionalized manner

Dynatic assassination

an attack upon a head of state or ruling elite

Random terror

the placing of explosives where people gather (such as post offices, railroads, and cafes) to destroy whoever happens to be there

Focused random terror

restricts the placing of explosives, for example, to where significant agents of oppression are likely to gather

Lone-wolf terrorism

someone who commits violent acts in support of some group, movement, or ideology, but who does so alone, outside of any command structure and without material assistance from any group

Domestic terrorism

the committing of terrorist acts in the perpetrator’s own country against their fellow citizens

Assassination

the murder of a political leader

Hashashin

arabic term which assassin come from

Alt-right

an abbreviation of alternative right, form a loosely connected far-right, white nationalist movement

Narco-terrorism

the linkage between drugs and terrorism

State terrorism

acts of terrorism that a state commits against defenseless victims

Piracy

an offense against the universal law of society

Privateers

private ships outfitted as warships and given letters of marque and reprisal, allowing them to make war on vessels flying foreign flags

Tyrannicide

the assassination of a (tyrant) political leader

Divine right of kings

the theory that kings rule by divine appointment

Political asylum

sanctuary or refuge for a person who has committed a crime granted by one government against the request of another government for the extradition of that person to be prosecuted for this political crime

Guerrilla warfare

an insurrectionary armed protest, implemented by means of selective violence

Cycle of violence

those against whom the terror-violence is first carried out becoming so angered that they resort to terrorism in response, directed against the people or institutions regarded as responsible for the initial terrorist acts

Fourth waves of modern terror

David Rapoport's critical analysis of historical trends in terrorism. Anarchist, Anti-Colonial, New Left, Religious

Fifth wave

shares elements of the religious wave, but new traits are emergent that help to make the argument that this is a new wave. While religion remains a part of many “alternative right” movements and groups today, it is less clearly fundamental to the goals and even rejected by some within the movement

Netwar

an emerging mode of conflict and crime at societal levels, involving measures short of traditional war, in which the protagonists use network forms of organization and related doctrine, strategies, and technologies attuned to the information age

Crazies

emotionally disturbed individuals who are driven to commit terrorism “by reasons of their own that often do not make sense to anybody else”

Criminals

perform terrorist acts for more easily understood reasons: personal gain

Crusaders

seek not personal gain, but prestige and power for a collective cause

Hackers typology of terrorists

consists of crazies, criminals and crusaders. Crusaders are the most difficult to reason with.

Image of the enemy

enemy is viewed in depersonalized and monolithic terms

Image of themselves

elite, victims, chosen, faithful

Nature of the conflict

not only is this a moral struggle, in which good and evil are simplistically defined, but terrorists tend to define the struggle also in terms of elaborately idealistic terms

Image of the victims

if victims are fairly easily identifiable as the enemy, then as representatives of the hostile forces, they are despised and their destruction is easily justified, even if such victims have committed no clear offense against the terrorist or his group

Theme of millenarianism

personal redemption through violence

Characteristics of “successful” terrorists

dedication, personal bravery, without emotions of pity or remorse, fairly high intelligence, fairly high degree of sophistication, reasonably well educated and possesses a fair share of general knowledge

Simplicity

First reason someone becomes a terrorist. individuals carrying out acts of terrorism tend to see themselves as engaged in a struggle of good against evil

Identity

second reason someone becomes a terrorist. Individuals enjoy being a part of a group of like minded individuals

Revenge

Third reason someone becomes a terrorist. Desire to avenge the “wrongs” done by those in the identity group

Group dynamics

forces of group behavior that help to shape terrorist thought and action

Social movement

loosely organized, offering sustained support of a social/political/religious goal, usually with either the implementation of the prevention of a change in a society’s structure or values. These are, according to researchers of such movements, essentially collective, resulting from “ the more or less spontaneous coming together of people whose relationships are not defined by rules and procedures but who mearley share a common outlook on society

Religious fanaticism

religious advocacy that involves a pattern of violently and potentially deadly opposition to anyone perceived as not in agreement with the faith

Radicalization

socialization toward politically violent extremism and terrorism

Demographic trends

age (tend to be young), education (college edu), economic status (middle class), gender (male)

Socialization towards violence

socialized to accept violence as a normal pattern of life

Internal terrorism

practiced by a state against its own people

External terrorism

practiced by one state through its agents against citizens of another

Intimidation

the government tries to anticipate and discourage opposition and dissent

Coerced conversion

government efforts to create a complete change in national lifestyle

Genocide

the deliberate effort to exterminate an entire class, ethnic group, or religious group of people

Torture

any act by which sever pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him… information or a confession, punishing him for an act he … has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him

State-directed terrorism

more involvement by the state, sometimes as direct as decision-making and control of the group's activities

State-supported terrorism

the state that usually aids or abets existing terrorist groups that have varying degrees of independence

‘Fishing in troubled waters’

offering assistance to those already engaged in opposition to states that are one’s enemies

Safe haven

permitting the groups to organize, plan, raise funds, communicate, recruit, and even train within the territory of the state

Rogue state

a recalcitrant or outlaw state that not only chooses to remain outside of the community of nation states, but also assaults the community’s basic values

Troubled states

fragile and dysfunctional states that lack either the capacity or the intent to fulfill the basic news of a substantial element of their populations, often casting doubt on the legitimacy of the regime in power

Terrorist-supported states

states that receive support from affluent terrorist groups

Networking

the creation of an interconnected system linking terrorist groups with similar goals

Propaganda

used to recruit, radicalize or incite fear through terrorist violence. includes virtual messages, presentations, magazines, treatise, audio and video files, and video games developed by terrorist organizations or sympathizers

Ad Hoc Strategic planning

focused on the planning of just one particular operation between groups whose other contacts remain fragmentary

Bombastic Strategic planning

consisting primarily in the issuing of declarations by “congresses” or transient alliances between groups briefly united against a perceived common target

International terrorism congress

a meeting of individuals engaged in terrorist acts from all over the world to work out agendas and to organize cooperative efforts

Unholy triangle

drug traffickers, terrorists, and state officials committed to the destruction of the world

Cyberterrorism

politically motivated hacking operations intended to cause harm such as loss of life or severe economic damage

Traveling terrorist training camps

a system in which individual instructors offer skills classes at different locations, essentially generating mobile classrooms for terrorists to finalize their weapons skills

Chain network

good, information, and even people are passed along a line of separate contacts, from one end of the chain to another

Hub or star networks

actors and cells tied to a central cell or actor that controls communication and coordinates action

All-channel networks

each small group or cell is connected to every other group in a collaborative effort, but without a central command cell

Entrepreneurs

persons who organize and operate a terrorist operation, taking on greater than normal risks in order to do so

Explosive bombs

generally either fragmentation or blast type

Incendiary bombs

firebombs, generating extensive fire damage

Plastic explosives

made of plastique, such as C4 or Semtex

Sleepers

agents recruited, trained, sent to blend in unnoticed but not put into operation for a period of time

Clandestine travel

the skill of altering one's appearance to permit one to slip through surveillance nets

Recruitment

drawing in of new members

Communication

reliable and secure means of creating during terrorist incidents

Intelligence collection

how to infiltrate target areas, gather relevant data, and return that information to headquarters

Counterintelligence

how to disseminate misinformation designed to confuse their enemies, and how to protect from infiltration by politice, military and government intelligence operatives

Rocket-propelled grenade

term used for any hand-held, shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons capable of firing an unguided rocket equipped with an explosive warhead

Shaped-charge principle

focusing on the force of the explosion in a desired direction

IED

a homemade bomb, designed to maim or kill an enemy, typically thrown or left concealed on the side of the road

precision -guided munitions (PGMs)

devices that can launch missiles whose trajectories can be corrected in flight

Organophosphates

so-called nerve agents

Backpack nukes

small portable nuclear devices developed by the military of both sides of the cold war

threat/hoax

leaders are frightened or blackmailed into acceding to terrorist demands

Dirty bombs

explosives are attached to nuclear waste products to disperse radioactive materials

Suicide bombing

an individual carreis explosives on his or her person or transport with the intention of detonating himself or herself in an effort to generate casualties among the enemy

Phases of terrorist incidents

pre-incident, initiation, negotiation, termination, post-incident

Fanatics

Individuals who are over enthusiastic, zealous beyond the bounds of reason

Sarin

one of the most lethal nerve agents known to man

Biological weapons

warfare agents that include living microorganisms and toxins produced by microorganisms, plants or animals

Chemical weapons

often composed of binary compounds of chemicals that separately would not be lethal

Bacteria

small free-living organisms

Viruses

organisms that require living cells in which to replace

Rickettsia

microorganisms that have characteristics of both bacteria and viruses

Fungai

primitive plants that do not utilize photosynthesis, are capable of anaerobic growth, and draw nutrition from decaying vegetable matter

Biotoxins

poisonous substances produced naturally by microorganisms, plants or animals that may be produced or altered by chemical means

Botulinum toxins

the single most poisonous substance known

Plague

incredibly virulent, but not always lethal biological agent

Smallpox

an infectious agent that several nations have tried for decades to effectively weaponize

Anthrax

an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium B anthracis

Cutaneous

infections occur from cut or abrasion on the skin, such as when someone is handling wood, hides or hair product of infected animals