S. military leaders foolishly enlisted local tribes in the mountainous region separating Afghanistan and Pakistan during the initial military operations in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11th (Scheuer, 2004)
Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Islamic Jihad: In principle, it is neither possible nor advisable to negotiate with terrorists groups. Previously, this maxim was much easier to implement, but in the last few decades of the 20th century, political indoctrination of citizens in many Arab states and, especially, in the disputed Palestinian territories has allowed bona fide terrorist organizations like Hamas and elements of the PLO to dominate local parliaments and government institutions, forever blurring the line between terrorists and nation states (Williams, 2004)
Therefore it is quite essential that the American media ought to reveal the truth and put an end to the constant fear regarding Islam and Muslims around the world. (Mueller and Mueller, May/June 1999)
media continues to talk regarding the abstract war against terrorism ignoring the issues or context behind them." (Fuller 1998) Conclusion: Domestic terrorism is limited only to some murder cases, protest measures, small-scale bombings, whereas international terrorism in U
These are the Islamic one, the Western, the Confucian, Japanese, Islamic, Hindu, Slavic-Orthodox, Latin American and with a certain sign of reservation, Africa. (Huntington, 1996) Indeed, the fragmentation may seen rather drastic; however, from the perspective of the current mapping of the terrorist phenomenon, it can be said that ideological or nationalistic terrorism follows closely the lines drew by the scholar
At the same time, there are views that are reluctant into giving the political motivation a central role. In this sense, "The National Commission on Terrorism found that fanaticism rather than political interests is more often the motivation now, and that terrorists are more unrestrained than ever before in their methods" (Morgan, 2004)
With a particular focus on the notion of a political motivation behind the actions undertaken by terrorist, there are similar definitions. For instance, the FBI considers terrorism to be "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" whereas the UN short definition, not generally accepted yet useful for guidance, considers an act of terrorism as a "peacetime equivalent of a war crime" (Payne, 2007), therefore making an association with a politically motivated action
The strong ideological connection that determines terrorists to justify their actions and overlook the gravity of the human consequences is the liaison that has the biggest significance for the enduring structure of the organization. However, in order to maintain this allegiance, it is important to have continuous group reinforcement (Sageman, 2004) Thus, the ideological and fanatical relation between the individual and the group must be maintained in order to have the power of his own beliefs when conducting the tasks assigned
The PKK, or the Kurdistan Working Party was established in 1978 adopting a nationalistic stand on the issue of an eventual Kurdistan; traditional for such an extremist group, the PKK made use of violent means in order to capture the attention of the world concerning the Kurdish problem. However, the result was the labeling of the organization as a terrorist group, taking into account the fact that their attacks "caused the deaths of over 30,000 people, including Kurdish civilians, members of the security forces, and terrorists" (Cerrah, 2006)
Unlike Hezbollah, the PIJ has some essential common points with Hamas; however, the span of its activities is inferior to the more influential role of Hamas. Still, the Islamic Jihad and Hamas share the same ultimate goal which is the establishment of a Palestinian state and the elimination of Israel as a national state in the region (Donovan, 2002)
In the contemporary world, and especially following the 9/11 attacks, the discussions over the forms of terrorism have been more and more fervent. In this sense, Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda network are seen as the most representative figures for what came to be known as "new terrorism" (Morgan, 2004)
Hamas is one of the most representative and well-known terrorist groups fighting for the Palestinian cause. It was established in 1987 in order to address the world the issue of a Palestinian state in present day Gaza and the occupied territories (Pina, 2006, 1-2)
The means used to deliver their messages have been, from the beginning, violent and have therefore been labeled a terrorist group. Another major role in the Middle East volatile security system is played by Hezbollah, a terrorist organization established in 1982 in Lebanon (Westcott, 2002)
The causes for conflict in the area are hard to precisely identify, due to the various elements that have influenced the escalation of tension. However, from the readings of Jonathan White, a conclusion can be drawn, that there are many elements which must be taken into account when discussing terrorism, such as history of the place, the actual existing conflicts, the political power of the actors involved, repression, and even the media (White, 2001) in the Israel- Palestinian conflict, each of these elements, together with religion and cultural differences can play a role in maintaining and encouraging the conflict
One agent reported seeing a detainee sitting on the floor of an interrogation cell with an Israeli flag draped around him while he was bombarded by loud music and a strobe light -- almost exactly what Al Qosi had alleged. Another reported seeing detainees chained hand and foot in fetal positions, in barren cells with no chair, food or water (Isikoff, 2007)
"The suicides should surprise no one because the detainees believe they will be held indefinitely with no chance for justice, said Josh Colangelo-Bryan with the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents about 200 of the detainees. 'They've been told that while at Guantanamo they have no rights as human beings' he told reporters" (Starr, 2006)
Terrorist Screening Center and Terrorist Threat Integration Center established by the former President are providing a platform for FBI, CIA and DHS to share the intelligence and act together, without any distinction regarding the origin of the terrorist threat. (Carafano, Heyman 2004) DHS has taken a lot of other initiatives against terrorist threats throughout the country
Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Intelligence now function with much more liberty on a broader scope. (Howard & Sawyer 2003) References Branan, David W
"The jihad movements rejected the belief, prevalent in the Arab world at the time, that the unification of the Islamic world was a prerequisite for the liberation of Palestine." (Donovan 2001)
PIJ international Terrorism PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad): History, motivations, tactics, political goals, ideology, and violent actions The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) was created in 1979 as an alternative to the Egyptian Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood. Its founders were the Egyptian students Fathi Shaqaqi and Abd al-Aziz Awda (Fletcher 2009)