Untitled Flashcards Set

Definition of State Terrorism

• Terrorism committed by governments and quasi-governmental agencies and personnel against perceived enemies.

• Can be directed externally against adversaries in the international domain or internally against domestic enemies.

• Involves official government support for policies of violence, repression, and intimidation.

• Often referred to as "downward" terrorism because it is directed from the state towards a perceived subordinate group.

Participant Labels in State-Level Terrorist Environments:

• Sponsors: States or state actors that actively promote terrorism.

• Enablers: States or state actors that operate and benefit from the environment.

• Cooperators: Those who facilitate counterterrorism efforts.

Varying Levels of Violence that State Agents May Employ:

• Warfare: Conventional military forces of a state are marshalled against the opposition.

• Genocide: State applies resources toward the elimination of a group.

• Assassinations: Selective application of homicidal state violence, whereby a single person or specified group is targeted.

• Torture: Used by the state as an instrument of intimidation, interrogation, and humiliation.

State Patronage vs. State Assistance:

• State Patronage: Direct linkages between a regime and instances of political violence; the state actively takes part in repression, violence, and terrorism.

• State Assistance: Indirect, sometimes covert linkages between a regime and instances of political violence.

The Patronage Model:

• Active participation in and encouragement of terrorist behavior.

• The state, through its agencies and personnel, actively takes part in repression, violence, and terrorism.

• State directly assists a proxy even when the movement or group is known to commit acts of terrorism or other atrocities.

The Assistance Model:

• State champions a politically violent proxy that is operating beyond its borders.

• Provides indirect support and may deny or reframe its involvement if discovered.

• Examples: Providing safe havens, logistical support, or ideological guidance.

Forms of Support that Terrorism as Foreign Policy Can Take:

• Moral Support: Politically sympathetic sponsorship.

• Technical Support: Logistically supportive sponsorship (training, arms supply, provision of safe houses, etc.).

• Selective Participation: Episode-specific sponsorship (support for a single incident or series of incidents).

• Active Participation: Joint operations where government personnel are directly involved.

Types of State Domestic Authority and Their Relation to Terrorism:

• Democracy: Authority is delegated from the people to elected leaders; power is clearly delimited.

• Authoritarianism: Authority and power emanate from the state rather than the people; leaders often rule indefinitely.

• Totalitarianism: Total governmental regulation where all national authority originates from the government.

• Crazy States: Failed states with irrational behavior, often controlled by warlords or militias, providing safe havens for terrorist networks.

Categories of Domestic State Terrorism:

• Unofficial Repression: Vigilante domestic state terrorism.

• Repression as Policy: Official domestic state terrorism.

• Mass Repression: Genocidal domestic state terrorism.

Definition of Genocide as a Form of Terrorism:

• Any act committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

• Includes killing members, causing serious harm, inflicting conditions calculated for destruction, preventing births, and forcibly transferring children.

Designated State Sponsors of Terrorism (US Department of State):

• Cuba

• North Korea

• Iran

• Syria

Terrorism by Dissidents

Definition of Dissident Terrorism:

• Any form of terrorism committed by non-state movements and groups against governments, ethnonational groups, religious groups, and other perceived enemies.

• Motivation is often rooted in a belief or defense of a "higher cause."

• Methods range from large-scale wars to individual assassination attempts.

• Grievances are often ignored by state officials.

Forms of Dissident Terrorism:

• Revolutionary Terrorism: Political violence aimed at effecting revolutionary change.

• Subrevolutionary Terrorism: Political violence aimed at making changes within a political system without abolishing it.

• Establishment Terrorism: Political violence used by an established political system against opposition.

• Insurgent Terrorism: Violence by private groups against public authorities to bring about radical political change.

Nihilism and Nihilist Dissident Terrorism:

• Nihilism: 19th-century Russian movement believing only scientific truth could end ignorance; rejected religion, nationalism, and traditional values.

• Goal of Nihilist Dissident Terrorism: Destroy the existing order with no clear alternative.

Nationalist Dissident Terrorism:

• Champions national aspirations of culturally or ethnically distinct groups.

• End goal: National autonomy and mobilization of the group.

History of Anti-State Terrorism in the United States:

• Leftist terrorism predominated in the 1960s-70s (Vietnam War era).

• Right-wing terrorism predominated in the 1980s (racial supremacists, religious extremists, anti-government movements).

Core Elements of Anti-State Dissident Terrorism:

• Idealized belief in ultimate victory.

• Justifies violent means for a utopian vision.

Organization of Dissident Terrorist Groups:

• Small cells or urban terrorist models.

• Goal: Create sympathy among the population, forcing the government into repression and ultimately mass uprising.

Communal Terrorism:

• Group-against-group violence, sometimes escalating to genocide.

Sectarian Violence:

• Conflict between religious groups, often part of broader ethnonational conflicts.

Modern Terrorist Cells:

• Loosely organized hubs with little central command.

• Use internet and encrypted communications for coordination.

• Primary advantage: Difficult to dismantle due to autonomy.

Lone-Wolf Model of Terrorism:

• Individuals acting independently, inspired by extremist ideologies.

Religious Terrorism

Definition of Religious Terrorism:

• Political violence motivated by an absolute belief that an otherworldly power has sanctioned violence.

Primary vs. Secondary Motivation for Religious Terrorism:

• Primary: Religious belief system is the driving force.

• Secondary: Religion is an element of national identity, with the main goal being secular (e.g., Northern Ireland).

Misconceptions About Islam and Terrorism:

• No monopoly on religious fanaticism.

• Holy war is not a fundamental Islamic principle.

• Most Muslims do not support terrorism.

Historical Examples of Religious Terrorism:

• Christian Crusades: Religious wars in the Middle Ages aimed at capturing holy lands.

• Order of Assassins: 11th-century Islamic sect using assassination as a tactic.

State-Sponsored Religious Terrorism:

• Iran: Revolutionary Guards Corps supports Hezbollah.

• Pakistan and India: Religious nationalist terrorist organizations supported by intelligence agencies.

Modern Dissident Religious Terrorism:

• Mujahideen: Fundamentalist Islamic fighters.

• Al-Qa'ida: Global jihadist network.

• ISIS: Brutal tactics, goal to establish a caliphate.

• Boko Haram: Nigerian group targeting Western education and civilians.

Future Trends:

• Religious terrorism is evolving, with global extremist networks continuing to expand.

• Al-Qa'ida and ISIS remain inspirations for new waves of violence.