June 29, 2005
Terrorism: An effective response? By Jonathan William Barr
It's business as usual on September 11, 2001; the morning sun shines down on New Yorkers already grinding through their daily routines. Without any warning, terror strikes. Some passer-bys - distracted for obvious reasons - look up, as a massive commercial airliner flies into one of the World Trade Center's twin towers. Moments later, before the first shock wave of panic-stricken terror could subside; another kamikaze passenger plane collides with the opposite tower. The city's pulse is broken, as cries of panic and emergency vehicle sirens ring through the streets. The two, once proud pillars of western capitalism that presided over the city sky-line for decades, completely collapse, crashing down on top of those trapped within. The tragedy leaves thousands dead under a mountain of concrete and steel. In the days that follow, Americans will discover that those responsible for the attacks are representatives of an organization called Al Qaeda. The leader of this organization, Osama Bin Laden, claims that the actions were part of a global holy war, made in the name of the Islamic faith.
Terrorism is not a new phenomenon; however, September 11, 2001 has marked a possible transition in the world order of things. Therefore, it would be constructive to analyze the events of 9/11 and the counter-terror measures that were pursued by the American administration thereafter. This article will begin with a brief definition of terrorism and then proceed to analyze Al Qaeda's motivations on 9/11. There appears to be concrete evidence that religion was an extremely important element, because it mobilizes the organization around a single identity and makes individuals feel that violent actions are just and legitimate. Thus, it can be concluded to be more important than political or socio-economic reasons in perpetuating the 9/11 attacks. Furthermore, solutions are harder to come by when religion becomes a factor, because it is so deeply embedded into the mental psyche of those involved; however, this article will conclude by offering the current American administration some possible recommendations for effective counter-terror measures.
American citizens were completely shocked as they witnessed televised events of Muslims from different countries, dancing in the streets, celebrating the horrific attack. Indeed, the non-state nature of terrorism has further exacerbated the complexity of the problem. Al-Qaeda is a transnational network operating within developing and developed countries. Given this complexity, it seems that the current state of media attention given to terrorism has made the problems of finding a concise definition difficult, because the negative connotations associated with the word "terrorism" have lead to an objective definition of the term. Terrorism has been used by many states to refer to their perceived enemies; therefore, the term needs to be clarified. In moving towards a definition of terrorism, there is a common theme of the use of violence for a particular end. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines terrorism as "the unlawful use of force or 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." Moreover, terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman defines terrorism as "the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear through violence or the threat of violence in pursuit of political change- all terrorist acts involve violence or threat of violence."
Actors in terrorism can be governments, individuals, or groups. The aforementioned definitions indicate that terrorism is carried out for social or political reasons. However, another element that has been prevalent in modern terrorism is religion. Religious terrorism has been seen in the suicide attacks in Israel and Palestine; attacks in Tokyo, India, Algeria, Oklahoma, and Florida. This form of terrorism has been defined as the "use of violence to further what they see as divinely commanded purposes, often targeting broad categories of foes in an attempt to bring about sweeping changes." Whether it is political, social, or religious, terrorism seeks to exact broad change within the existing order. Terrorism can be seen on many different levels; therefore, careful analysis is needed to determine what motivations lead to the tragic events of 9/11.
Author: Jonathan William Barr
Posted on June 29, 2005 10:19 PM