Terrorism Final - Terms/Info

What is Terrorism

- Terrorism is a politically motivated act of violence by non-state actors against civilians

— Unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives (political motivation

State of Terror concept

- When the state employs terror to achieve its ends

- Usually extrajudicial (not normal legal procedure)

Terrorism in Antiquity

- Most common forms of terrorism in antiquity were borderline

- Assassinations, tyrannicide

- state/military terror

The Maccabean Revolt (167 BCE)

- In Judea government officials were trying to get Jews to worship greek god so a priest rose up and killed both the official and the willing Jewish priest that was going to sacrifice to the greek god and sparked Maccabean revolt (gained independence)

The Fall of the Roman Republic

- The Roman republic collapsed in cascade of political violence

- Wealthy elites created private paramilitaries

- Populist vs aristocratic divide

- Assassinated enemies, fought in the streets

- Eventually led to full scale civil wars

Assassination of Julius Caesar

Caesar took power in civil war and then was assasinted by conspiracy (60-70) (betrayed by Brutus)

The Christian World

- Christianity was slow to justify tyrannicide

- Emphasized obedience to authority

- but....The medieval era renowned for horrific violence and public punishments

Renaissance Italy

- Assassination became commonplace in the political intrigues of the time

- Machiavelli wrote that it was better for a leader to be feared than loved

- Borgia (the pope had assassins)

The Gun Powder Plot (1605)

- Catholic conspirators smuggled 1800 pounds of gunpowder under English parliament

- Planned to detonate it when King James I opened parliament

- Hoped to spark rebellion

American Revolution

- Led mobs to attack tax collectors

- Dragged them from their homes

- Looted their possessions

- Burned their homes

- Tarred and feathered them

France: The Ancient Regime

- The word "terrorism" started to develop within the french revolution and france civil war

The Contours of Absolutism

- Army centralized

- No ability for independent military action by nobles

- No checks on royal power

- No constitution

- No elected assemblies, parliaments

The Enlightenment Critique

- 18th century philosophers began to stress reason over tradition and authority (Voltaire, franklin, diderot etc)

The French Revolution (1789)

- Louis XVI raised taxes to pay for war but didn't tax clergy or nobleman

- Fear of military response from King prompted attack on Bastille

The Reign of Terror (1793)

- French radicalist Robespierre seizes power and instituted a reign of terror

Targets

- Hoarders and speculators

- Those in league with foreigners

- Anyone deemed anti-revolutionary

Russian Rulers

- Autocratic, backward Tsarist system: The Romanovs ruled an absolutist empire with no checks on power, a rural serf-based society, and widespread repression—conditions that fueled revolutionary resentment.

- Reforms sparked revolutionary movements: Alexander II's reforms (especially the 1861 emancipation of serfs) opened political space that inspired radicals demanding deeper change.

- Emergence of revolutionary terrorism: Thinkers like Sergei Nechaev advocated violence and clandestine organization, leading groups such as Land and Liberty to embrace terrorism when peaceful mobilization failed.

Importance of Russian Revolutionary Terrorists

- The adoption of terrorism by nonstate actors with revolutionary ideas

Anarchism

- Originated in early 19th century

- Part of utopian intellectual ferment of the time

- Opposition to the state and other established institutions (Private property, Organized religion)

- Belief in self organizing society

- Effective tactically but failed strategically

Claimed many high profile victimes

- President William McKinley

- French Pres, Sadi Carno

- Italian King Umberto I

Anarchism in France

- In 1892, Francois Ravachol bombed house of prosecutor of other anarchists

- Left note saying they should be more lenient next time

- Bragged about it in cafe

- Caught and guillotined

Terrorism in Literature

Joseph Conrat "the secret agent'

- Depicts similar attack, but motivated by foreign spy agency

- Take advantage of naive anarchist

G.K. Chesterton, "The Man Who Was Thursday"

- Described anarchist cell

Anarchy in the USA

Johann Most toured US in 1882

- Anarchism initially associated with radical union activity

- Haymarket incident in Chicago in 1886 (bomb thrown, shots fired, several deaths)

Red Scare

Terror associated in public with

- Radical left

- Foreigners

Congressional action:

- Sedition Act of 1918 made it illegal

- Making false scandalous or malicious statements intended to defame the government, stir up sedition or oppose US news

- (Immigration Act of 1917)

The Palmer Raids, 1919-1920

- Anarchists bombed Attorney General Mitchell Palmer's home in 1919

- Traced to associate of Galleani

- Palmer initiated widespread crackdown on organized labor and anarchists

- Widespread arrests, interrogation, deportation

- Immigration Act of 1924

- Further restricted immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe

The Wall Street Bomb of 1920

- Anarchist bombing

- Hidden in horse drawn carriage

- 100 pounds of dynamite

Aftershocks of Anarchism

- In the 1960s, revived interest in anarchism, along wita h general interest in radical politics

- In 1971 Anarchist Cookbook published explosive recipes

- But no campaigns of assassination motivated by anarchism

- By the 1970s, anarchism had become a rebellious fashion statement

Punk bands like the sex pistols adopted the symbolism

Anarchism Today

- Anarchism remains popular on the far left

- Focus on demonstrations and mutual identity

- Variety of groups, publications

- Not engaged in terrorism

Slavery in U.S.

- Slavery abolished in northern states after the revolution

- Cultivation of cotton in South required large agricultural workforce

- South remained committed to slavery

- Slavery became central axis of conflict between north and south

- Southern states worried about growing power of the north

- Led to civil war

John Brown and Harper's Ferry

- John Brown, abolitionist

- Raided government arsenal at harpers ferry, virginia in 1859

- Hoped to seize arms and spark a slave revolt

- Captured by robert lee and executed

American Civil War

- 1861-1865

- Lincoln's election led southern states to secede from union

- War took over 600,000 lives

The Reconstruction Amendments

- 13th abolished slavery

- 14th birthright citizenship, equal protection

- 15th prohibits discrimination in voting rights

Radical Reconstruction

- Republicans won 1866 congressional elections

- Imposed martial law on the south

- Disbanded state governments

- Disenfranchised confederates

- Ensured black voting rights

- Republican governments were elected in the south

First Klan

- Founded in 1866

- Centralized under nathan bedford forrest

Jim Crow

- Segregation enforced

- Plessy v Ferguson 1896 (separate but equal)

Birth of a Nation

Birth of the Nation released in 1915

- Depicts blacks terrorizing whites during reconstruction

- Fears:

-----black voting

-----Black men having sex with white women

- Klan portrayed as protector of civilization

Screened at white house by president woodrow wilson

- Wilson also re-segregated federal government

Second Klan

- Movie helped inspire revival of Klan

- Became mass organization

- Penetrated into the north, especially Indiana

- Large function of Democratic party in 1924

- Mouribound by the 1930s

Third Klan

- Revived in response to Civil rights movement

- Brown v Board

- Emmet Till lynch

- Klan attacked voter registration drives

- Bombed birmingham church

- Assassianted medgar evers

- Killed chaney, goodman and schwerner

The Three Phases of Nationlist Terrorism

Early (late 19th, early 20th)

- Irish independence

- Serbia and Black Hand

Middle (decolonizaiton 1945-1970)

- Israel

- Malaysia

- Kenya

- Algeria

Late (post 1970)

- Palestine

- Northern Ireland

Nationlism

- People are naturally divided into national groups

United by language, culture, religion, and symbols

- Your national group has highest claim on your loyalty

As opposed to city, region, family, and religion

- Your national group deserves an independent state

Irish History (prior to conflict)

- Normans invaded Ireland after conquering England

- Failed to establish lasting control

- Tudors reconquered Ireland

- Started under Henry VII

- Completed by Elizabeth I

- By 1603, Ireland firmly under English control

Ireland in 17th, 18th, 19th century

17th Cenutry

- Ireland was revolting in 1641 while England was distracted by the English Civil War

- Cromwell reconquered Ireland with extreme brutality 1649-1651

18th Century

- Small minority of protestants of English origin controlled Ireland

- Owned vast majority of land, wealth

- Many were absentee landowners

19th Century

- 1801 Ireland combined in the united kingdom of great britain and Ireland d

- 1829 catholic relief act

- 1882 Fenians assassinated third ranking british office

- Irish began agitating for "home rule' in British parliament

Easter Uprsiing

- Had all the trappings of classic anarchist propaganda of the deed (violence to defy conventional morality and inspire revolutions)

- A few thousand poorly armed men that the British took in force

- Less than 200 soldiers died between the two sides but casualties reached thousands and 2 million dollars worth of property damages

- Irish republicans rose against british rule

- Harsh British response quickly restored order

The War of Irish Independence 1918-1921

- Sinn Féin won the December 1918 parliamentary elections

- Declared independence

- Began terrorist/guerilla campaign against government

Serbian Irrendtism

- Serbians wanted to take land from austro hungarian empire

- Create greater serbia, yugoslavia, to unite the slavs of the balkan peninsula

Assasination of Franz Ferdiand

- Serbian terrorist group "black hand" conceived of plot to assassinate the heir to the Austrian throne

Middle Period: Decolonization

- World War II fatally weakened the great colonial empires

- French, dutch, british driven out of south east Asia by the Japanese

- European powers weakened by war

- Imperialism discredited nazy racism

Founding of Israel

- Britain took over Palestine for bottom after world war I

- Zionist movement began encouraging migration of jews to british mandate

- Arabs attack immigrants, leading to clashes

The Battle of Algiers

- FLN adopted urban terroism

- Began assassinating and bombings

- Extremist settlers retaliated with bombings and extrajudicial killings

French Counterterrosm

- Torture

- Program to identity FLN

- Summary executions common Destroyed FLN in Algiers in 1957

- Set a precedent of coutnerterrorism units in the modern day

Munich 1972

- Fatah group black september attack israeli athletics at munich olympic s

- Killed 2 three hostages

- Germans bungled rescue attempt. All hostages are

- All hostages were killed

The First Intifada and Oslo

- Arafat renounces terrorism in 1988

- First Intifada breaks out

- Opposed US intervention in Gulf War of 1990

- Negotiated deal with Israel at OSlo, 1993

Northern Ireland Troubles

- Catholic civil rights movement in northern ireland arose in 1960s

- Ulster volunteer force and royal ulster constabulary attacked protest marches

- British troops called in

Provisional IRA split off

The Long War

- British were able to reduce IRA numbers

- Ira turned to "long war"

- Kill as many as they can and make the area ungovernable

- In the 1990s, the IRA shifted its strategy to bombing financial targets

Good Friday Agreement

- 1998 Good Friday Agreement ended the conflict

- Sinn Féin transitioned to a mainstream party

- The Omagh bombing by a splinter group killed 29

- Widely condemned

Argentina and Dirty War

- Leftist rebels Montoneros ERP waged campaign of kidnapping and assassination

- Military responded with military coup, death squads

- Estimates of 30,000 killed by government side

- Chile 1973-1990 military dictatorship

Sterling Hall Bombing

- The University of Wisconsin-Madison was bombed on August 24th, 1970

- Targeted Army Mathematics Research Center

Used a truck bomb with ammonium nitrate and fuel bomb

- Killed one student who was working late at night, and injured three others

- The center shut down

Left Wing Terrorism

- Largely ineffective

- In Colombia and Peru lasting revolutionary guerilla forces were built

- In the US leftist terrorism was marginal

- In Europe, more disruptive but achieved no political goals

Laws of War

- Jus in bellum (just war theory), war should only be condoned under "just" conditions

- Limits the causes for which war can be considerd justifiable

Idea of Obeying Laws of War

- Reciprocity, if you violate them, so will the enemy

- Seen in WWII

- Geneva convention mostly observed

Irregular Forces

- Guerillas reject injunction to wear uniforms

- Attack by ambush

- Terrorists reject need to distinguish between civilians and military targets

Terrorism justification: Honderich:

- That is right which will get people out of bad lives

- Basic overall points

- Civilians are not innocent

- Terrorism ok even praiseworthy for some causes

- No civilian immunity because there is no innocence

Terrorism justification: Meisels:

- Terrorism only succeeds when used against democracies who bind themselves to international law

- Terrorism not effective compared to other strategies

Jihad Definition

- Greater jihad: internal struggle to be a good muslim

Lesser Jihad: outer struggle against enemies of islam

- Dar al Islam: land of islam

- Dar al Harb: Land of conflict

- Fitna: strife between muslims

- Takfir: declaration that others are not true muslims

Iranian Revolution

- In 1979 Shah (ruler) overthrown january bc he was placed by the US

- Led by Ayatollah Khomenu

- US embassy stormed and hostages were taken

- They were released as Reagan was inaugurated in 1981

1993 world trade center bombing

- Led by Ramzi Yousef

- Traveled to US in 1992

- Detonated big car bomb in parking garage

- 6 killed

- Lack of organization

Algerian civil war

- GIA (an armed islamic group) killed 200,000 people

- Attacks against civilians, journalists, and gov officials

The birth of Islam

- Founded in 622 AD

- Arabia, syria, persia, egypt, libia, morocco, spain

- Ruled by Caliphate, Islamic State

- Would take over weak states

Sunni and Shia

- Different sects of Islam (like catholic, protestant etc)

- Began over a disagreement in the line of succession after Mohammed

- Sunnis over 85% based in iran

The golden age of Islam

- 700 and 800s golden age of Islam, wealthy, intellectual, with pilgrimages, trade

- At the same time Europe was seen as barbaric and unimpressive

Challenges to Islamic world

- Breaking up of the caliphate

- Crusaders took Jerusalem in 1099

- Mongol invasions in 1200s

- Black death in 1300s

- European renaissance

The ottoman empire

- Empire over mediterranean

- Successor to early roman empire

- New caliphate

- Muslim empire

- Stronger than any Euro state

Allenby in Jerusalem

- Ottomans side w germany in ww1

- British takes Jerusalem in 1917

- Revolution overthrows Sultanate and the republic of Turkey is founded

Sykes-Picot Agreement

- 1916 british and french agreement to partition plan for ottoman territories

- Viewed by many as a betrayal of promises to arabs

The Balfour Declaration

- 1917 UK dec. supports the establishment of Israel, a national home for Jewish people in Palestine

The Afghan War

- 1979 soviets invade

- US supports Islamic Mujahideen

- 1988 US and Soviets negotiate to end conflict

- Soviet supported leader overthrown

- 1996 Taliban take control

Al Qaeda's views

- Sunni fundamentalist (islam)

- Key innovation was taking the fight to the USA

- USA root of all problems (head of the snake)

Terrorist acts pre 9/11

- East Africa Embassy bombings

- Al-Qaeda bombed US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya (Killed 200 and injured 4,000 (few americans))

- USS cole (Bombed off coast of Yemen in 2000)

9/11 participants

- Mostly saudi arabian

- Then UAE then egypt and lebanon

The planes of 9/11

- From LA to East Coast, hella fuel

- Happens over 3 hrs

American 11

- Piloted by mohammed atta

- Hit the north tower of WTC

- Flight attendant was able to call American airlines and relay what was going to happen

United 175

- Hit south tower

American 77

- 5 hijackers

- Hit pentagon

United 93

- WTC had already been fully hit

- Passengers overtook the plane, crashed it into a field

Cost of 9/11

- 2,977 deaths

- 55 billion direct costs

- 123 billion indirect costs

- Al Qaeda's expenses estimated to be less than 500,000

Why no 9/11 repeats?

- Tactic is completely dependent on surprise

Aftermath and Immediate response

- US asks taliban for bin laden, they say no

- Taliban ousted by dec 2001 by the US, bin laden escapes

- Invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan

- Nuclear confrontation with Iran

- Estb of Dept of Homeland Security

ISIS, ISIL, IS

- ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria)

- ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant)

- IS (Islamic State)

US Invasion + Dismantling of Iraq 2003

- Convinced Hussein was involved with Al Qaeda and nuclear weapons programs

- Disbanded the army

de-Bathified (hussein's party) the bureaucracy

- Anarchy

- Destruction of Iraqi army left Sunnis (elites in Iraq) worried they would be oppressed by Shiite majority

The civil war (sunni and shiite)

- 2004-2009

- Shia got control of the gov in 2005 elections

- Many civilians killed

- 2007 increased troop levels (The surge)

- By 2009 the sunni insurgency was crushed

Return of IS

- 2009 obama takes office

- 2010 Iraqi leader Nouri al-Maliki begins arresting Sunni Leaders

- 2011 civil war breaks out in syria (Arab spring)

- Remnants of AQI cross border from Iraq

- 2014 return to Iraq

- Large online presence

Fall of the Islamic State

- US started targeting the IS in iraq aug 2014

- Also arm kurdish and arab militias to attack IS

The Oslo Years

- 1993 Yitzhak Rabin and Yassir Arafat negotiated deal at Oslo

- Palestinian authority created in west bank and gaza

- Hamas launched sporadic attacks in this period

- 90s as a period of hope for some resolution of the conflict

Camp David 2000

- Clinton brought the parties tg in 2000

Hope was to finish final status issues

- Boundaries

- Jerusalem

- Security provisions

- Pop issues (right of return, etc)

- Negotiations failed

The Second Intifada

- High level of deadly suicide attacks (2000-2005)

- Weakened Israeli support for two state solution

- Israel attacked West Bank and Gaza

- Israel built a wall around Gaza to keep out these bombers, it worked

Palestinians in Gaza

- 2006 elections Hamas won a large share of the votes, but PLO's Abbas refused to cede power

The big project/Oct 7

- Major assault on Israel planned by Yahya Sinwar

- Assault across gaza boarder using construction vehicles to penetrate boarder fence

- Once they breached the fence, a few thousand fighters entered israel

- Killed 1200 people

- Took 250 hostages back to Gaza

Israeli Response

- Full scale invasion of Gaza

- Goal was to destroy Hamas

- Over 66,000 Palestinians killed and Gaza destroyed

- Targeted leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah

Why did Hamas go to war in 2023?

- Israel wont accept a 2 state solution

- Preventative war

- Provocation and Spoiling

Public opinion on U.S. after 9/11

- Majority of american voters oppose sending military aid to israel, and that israel should stop its military campaign

Right wing

- Most common attacks are anti abortion, anti gov

- Casualties in USA: 267 --- 0.55 per attack, 366 cases w/o death or injuries

Christian Identity movement

- Origins in 19th century fringe theology

- Europeans are "true descendents" of ancient Israelites

- Armageddon will come