Unit 6 Flashcards
(20 cards)
Terrorism :
1) 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.
2) Terrorism can either be domestic or international depending on the origin, base, and objectives of the group.
Domestic terrorism
1) They are often residents of the country and blend into the normal looking population.
2) They are not often affiliated with terrorist organizations and are described as lone wolfs.
3) They often have no record of arrest and leave no records of their planned attacks.
4) They are unremarkable.
International terrorism
1) Refers to violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of criminal laws and are under the direction of a foreign government, group, organization, or person.
2) This usually affects a wide spread of people throughout the world.
Terrorism is broadly viewed as:
1) The use of violence or force
2) By individuals or groups
3) That is directed toward civilian populations
4) And intended to instil fear
5) As a means of coercing individuals or groups to change their political and social positions
Right-wing terrorists :
1) Groups or individuals that adhere to an anti-government or racist ideology and often engage in a variety of hate crimes and violence
2) Far-right organizations are receiving considerable research scrutiny.
3) They also believe in conspiracy theories.
Left-wing extremist groups
1) Political activists who move from activism to violence.
2) They are developed from the working-class movement seeking, in theory, to eliminate class distinctions.
3) Modern left-wing extremists protest and politically agitate against certain government policies, discrimination, and environmental issues.
4) Extreme left is characterised by extreme egalitarianism
Black panther party
1) Promotes black influence through militant-type protests and demonstrations.
2) They encourage young African Americans to be proud of their heritage.
3) The weather underground.
Special interest extremists
1) Whose activities revolve around one issue about which they are passionate.
2) The predominant representatives of this group are violent anti-abortion groups that firebombed women’s health centres during the 1990s
Radical environmental groups
1) Environmental activists who have used terrorists’ tactics to draw attention to dangers in or to the environment
Nuclear/biological/chemical terrorism
1) Terrorists activities carried out with the use of nuclear, biological, or chemical substances
Anthrax
1) An acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis.
Three motivational categories
1) Rationally motivated terrorists
2)Psychologically motivated terrorist
3) Culturally motivated terrorist
`Bioterrorism
1) Delivered under the right conditions and by using highly infectious biological agent, could be devastating.
Rationally motivated terrorists:
1) Those motivated by goals of the organization they belong to and the possible consequences of their actions.
2) They develop well defined and theoretically achievable goals that may involve political, social, economic, or other specific objectives.
3) They try to avoid loss of life but focus instead on destroying infrastructures.
Psychologically motivated terrorist:
1) Motivated by their own sense of failure or inadequacy for which the perpetrator may seek to redress through revenge.
2) The attraction to terrorism is usually based on the psychological benefits of group affiliation and collective identity.
3) They are especially drawn to terrorist groups that have a charismatic leader.
Lone wolf operation
1) The validation of the self is not derived through group affiliation, but through the sense of mastery power, and autonomy that attends to the ability to make unilateral decisions.
Culturally motivated terrorist:
1) Those who are motivated by fear or irreparable damage to their ways of living, national heritage, or culture.
2)Religion is the aspect that generates the fervour or passion in the group as well as the individual.
Followers and leaders
1) Mostly young men but there are a few women.
2) Most terrorists are in their teens to mid-twenties.
3) Some have higher education and most came from the middle-age, middle-class background
Why do they join
1) When people lack the skills and strategies to modify at least some of their social situations, feelings of helplessness usually result.
2) This may be why some individuals engage in terrorist activities.
These feelings are likely to provoke one of two response patterns:
1) Approach – to lash out in desperation, especially if one believes this response pattern will be effective in improving one’s circumstances.
2) Avoidance- also called learned helplessness or reactive depression. A learned passive and withdrawn response in the face of perceived hopelessness
