What is terrorism?

[iARTthere4iam]

It seems that people will label anything that they don't like or agree with as terrorism. Terrorism is not a nation nor is it war or guerilla warfare. Terrorism is a tactic of influencing politics with fear. In Iraq both guerilla warfare (blowing up military convoys with IEDs) and terrorism (blowing up a market with a car bomb) exist but are not the same. The two shouldn't be confused.

What is your definition of TERRORISM?

 

[sanch]

Since 9/11 there has been a strategy to lump many disparate groups together as terrorists. This exercise has produced a lot of problems but it was deemed necessary to get a lot of states on board for the war on terrorism. As an example the Bush administration realizes it made a mistake in Iraq by lumping together former Iraqi soldiers who became resistance fighters after they were dismissed from their duties and the foreign terrorists affiliated with al Queada. Now they want to separate these groups by offering the resistance fighters a form of amnesty. Afghanistan has a similar policy for the Taliban.

In a similar fashion Israel will have to engage Hezbollah or its members diplomatically as they constitute the population of southern Lebanon. The Sinhalese will eventually enter into some pact with Tamils. So this type of terrorist group can be reincorporated and become part of the political mainstream through negotiation. The IRA and Irgun in Israel are examples of this process. This is how political and social change occurs.

Bin Laden and al Queada are another species of terrorist entirely. They are totally malignant and need to be destroyed. There can be no negotiation.

 

[iARTthere4iam]

It is possible that resistance fighters can become realigned with the mainstream.
The french resistance fighters in WWII fought to resist the Vichy leaders and to oust the Nazis and eventually their land was free. TE Lawrence helped the Arabs to fight the Turks using guerilla tactics. Neither of these instances are terrorism. al Queada is clearly a terrorist organisation.
The US has been called a state terrorist, So has Israel and Britian. This is clearly the wrong label for these nations, though at these states may at times have used terror tactics (I'm not saying they do, but I'm open to the argument if it is made well).

 

[Caleb-Dain Matton]

In my opinion, the term "terrorists" started as those who resisted direct US aggression, whether the South Vietnamese or Iraqi insurgents. But it was not a "big" problem because the US still had Communists to blame for everything.

But then Communism faded.

Public records show that the US had tried unsuccessfully many assassination attempts on Cuba...isn't this terrorism?

It instigated the faild Bay of Pigs on Cuba. Isn't this terrorism?

It unleashed genocidal use of smallpox against Native Americans in 19th century...isn't this terrorism?

Admiral Nimitz and the Chiefs of Staff approved poison gas during the invasion of Iwo Jima in 1943...isn't this terrorism?

The US government underwent the most massive chemical war in Indochina, unleashing Agent Orange on Vietnamese peasants in the 1960s...isn't this terrorism?

US soldiers murdered countless peasants in what is now known as the Mail Lai Massacre (1970?)...isn't this terrorism?

The CIA spread anthrax over Zimbabwe from 1978 to 1980...isn't this terrorism?

Cuba suffered a chemical-biological warfare attack in 1981 at the hands of the US which resulted in mass dengue fever and the killing of half a million pigs...isn't this terrorism?

The sad part is that this is just a small sampling of US terrorism. There is not enough thread nor hours in a day to complete the list in full.

So, again, what is terrorism? I'm curious to know myself.

 

[#juan]

Terrorism

has come along way in the last thirty years or so. If you are old enough you might remember various groups; Red Brigade, Bader/Meinhof, and a few others, including the PLO used to hijack airliners full of people. Remember Carlos? In the early days they didn't crash the airplanes into bldgs. Generally, they would make their point and negotiate their escape back to where ever they came from. There was a few times when aircraft were blown up on the ground but the passengers were allowed to escape

Things have escalated since then and hijackings have led to terrible losses of life and they no longer negotiate with anyone.

A terrorist is someone who does mass murder to make a political point.

With the invasion of Iraq, we have found a new term. The people who were resisting the invasion were called "insurgents". These people are not terrorists. I have a hard time calling the Palestinians terrorists because they are forced to use the cheapest method of fighting back; Dynamite.

Who are terrorists? Terrorists are people who use killing and destruction to achieve political ends. Right now, terrorists are pretty easy to spot, whether they are doing their destruction with car bombs or tanks, or jet fighters.

 

[Caleb-Dain Matton]

Terrorism


Who are terrorists? Terrorists are people who use killing and destruction to achieve political ends. Right now, terrorists are pretty easy to spot, whether they are doing their destruction with car bombs or tanks, or jet fighters.

Yes, but I think that terrorism isn't limited to physical destruction -- economic terrorism is thriving just well.

 

[iARTthere4iam]

Caleb-Dain Matton I understand your point but I see that the only terrorists you see live in the US.
War has its own horrors. You cite Iwo Jima and Vietnam, I see the two as horrors of war rather than terrorism. Terrorism is not just mass murder and destruction, it is a specific tactic.
A car bomb that explodes unexpectedly on a city street is terrorism, but a war where civillians are killed seems to me to be something else namely war.
Terrorism against spain caused it to pull out of a war- it caused fear much like blackmail.

Caleb-Dain Matton can you actually define terrorism.

 

[Caleb-Dain Matton]

Re: RE: What is terrorism?

Caleb-Dain Matton I understand your point but I see that the only terrorists you see live in the US.
War has its own horrors. You cite Iwo Jima and Vietnam, I see the two as horrors of war rather than terrorism. Terrorism is not just mass murder and destruction, it is a specific tactic.
A car bomb that explodes unexpectedly on a city street is terrorism, but a war where civillians are killed seems to me to be something else namely war.
Terrorism against spain caused it to pull out of a war- it caused fear much like blackmail.

Caleb-Dain Matton can you actually define terrorism.

I'm just showing the other side of the coin, ART. Extremists and Americans have been at war for some time now -- this we can't deny. Could it be that 911 was not a "terrorist act" but rather one of the "horrors of war" (that you stated above), - no different then Hiroshima and Nagasaki's death of millions of civilians to drive the point home?

 

[cortex]

Whats a terrorist---
Hes the fellow with the LITTLE bomb.

 

[cortex]

Whats a terrorist--hes the one who lauches his bombs from the ground while the good guys are the ones who drop them from planes

 

[cortex]

Whats a terrorist--after they kill innocent people--they never say they are sorry while the good guys always say they are.

Terrorism is never having to say you are sorry.

 

[iARTthere4iam]

Caleb, terrorism didn't start with the US. My point isn't that the US is right and everyone else is wrong but that "terrorism" is a misused term.

By the way, Japan started that war by bombing a military target (pearl harbor) and when the US dropped atomic bombs on their cities both sides knew they were at war. There is a big difference when al Quaida kill thousands of civillians who don't know they have an enemy.

 

[iARTthere4iam]

Cortex, The guy with the little bomb who attacks the guy with the jet fighters is a Guerilla fighter not a terrorist.

 

[Caleb-Dain Matton]

Re: RE: What is terrorism?

Caleb, terrorism didn't start with the US. My point isn't that the US is right and everyone else is wrong but that "terrorism" is a misused term.

By the way, Japan started that war by bombing a military target (pearl harbor) and when the US dropped atomic bombs on their cities both sides knew they were at war. There is a big difference when al Quaida kill thousands of civillians who don't know they have an enemy.

I guess I am curious Art...would you bet your life that the US has NEVER committed a terrorist act?

 

[iARTthere4iam]

Re: RE: What is terrorism?

No, I didn't say they NEVER used terrorism. Have they done wrong? Hell, yes. I would never say otherwise.
I am saying that terrorism is a TACTIC not a state of being.

Sinking the Bismark, attacking Pearl Harbor, firebombing Dresden are warefare. Detonating a carbomb in a market or a vestbomb on a bus or hijacking an airplane is terrorism. There is a difference.

 

[Caleb-Dain Matton]

Re: RE: What is terrorism?

No, I didn't say they NEVER used terrorism. Have they done wrong? Hell, yes. I would never say otherwise.
I am saying that terrorism is a TACTIC not a state of being.

Sinking the Bismark, attacking Pearl Harbor, firebombing Dresden are warefare. Detonating a carbomb in a market or a vestbomb on a bus or hijacking an airplane is terrorism. There is a difference.

How about assassination attempts/succeses against foreign leaders, coups, massacres (Mai Lai and Haditha), invasions and germ and chemical warfare where and when prohibited by conventions. Let's not forget that the U.S. are World Court criminals. Where did you say the difference was?

 

[dekhqonbacha]

It seems that people will label anything that they don't like or agree with as terrorism. Terrorism is not a nation nor is it war or guerilla warfare. Terrorism is a tactic of influencing politics with fear. In Iraq both guerilla warfare (blowing up military convoys with IEDs) and terrorism (blowing up a market with a car bomb) exist but are not the same. The two shouldn't be confused.

What is your definition of TERRORISM?

agree

 

[iARTthere4iam]

Re: RE: What is terrorism?

No, I didn't say they NEVER used terrorism. Have they done wrong? Hell, yes. I would never say otherwise.
I am saying that terrorism is a TACTIC not a state of being.

Sinking the Bismark, attacking Pearl Harbor, firebombing Dresden are warefare. Detonating a carbomb in a market or a vestbomb on a bus or hijacking an airplane is terrorism. There is a difference.

How about assassination attempts/succeses against foreign leaders, coups, massacres (Mai Lai and Haditha), invasions and germ and chemical warfare where and when prohibited by conventions. Let's not forget that the U.S. are World Court criminals. Where did you say the difference was?

Are you totoally unable to READ. I am asking for DEFINITIONS for what constitutes terrorism.
Should I take it by your answers that the US is the MEANING of TERRORISM.
Terrorism= the USA. That's simple enough. Thank-you for your thoughtful input.

 

[Caleb-Dain Matton]

Re: RE: What is terrorism?

No, I didn't say they NEVER used terrorism. Have they done wrong? Hell, yes. I would never say otherwise.
I am saying that terrorism is a TACTIC not a state of being.

Sinking the Bismark, attacking Pearl Harbor, firebombing Dresden are warefare. Detonating a carbomb in a market or a vestbomb on a bus or hijacking an airplane is terrorism. There is a difference.

How about assassination attempts/succeses against foreign leaders, coups, massacres (Mai Lai and Haditha), invasions and germ and chemical warfare where and when prohibited by conventions. Let's not forget that the U.S. are World Court criminals. Where did you say the difference was?

Are you totoally unable to READ. I am asking for DEFINITIONS for what constitutes terrorism.
Should I take it by your answers that the US is the MEANING of TERRORISM.
Terrorism= the USA. That's simple enough. Thank-you for your thoughtful input.

Wow, way to spin. I gave you definitions using the US as an example of terrorism and asked what the difference was. You obviously want to deflect the truth. So be it.

 

[Colpy]

I would say that attacking a civilian target with the only aim to terrorize the general population of to gain notority for your cause is terrorism.

That would make the firebombing of Dresden terrorism, as the city had no military value. It was however, in retaliation for the terror bombing of Coventry.

Yes, the good guys sometimes engage in terrorism.

Probably the best example of pure terrorism is when the Irgun, in 1948, selected a village amongst other Arab villages and murdered over 250 men, women, and children, in a successful attempt to terrorize other Arabs in Israel to flee.