Create a writing sample in your own words

Reference no: EM133716566

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF TERRORISM

There are a number of crucial components of terrorism. Terrorism is often:

An act of disruption, violence, or the threat of violence. It is not like a protest, a sit-in, or a strike with a picket line. Instead, it involves illegitimate activities that are not sanctioned by law. Terrorism creates many social, political, and economic problems for targeted populations, societies, and the international community. Some of the violent means of terrorism may include guns or bombs.
Performed by an individual, group, or state that espouses an ideology. Terrorism results from unique ways of looking at the world that attempt to rationalize illegal behavior. For instance, the ideology of terrorism often neglects or subverts negotiation, diplomacy, and democratic processes.

Conducted against governments or citizens as targets and shown to an audience. Certain people may be injured, killed, or otherwise affected by terrorism. But terrorism also intends to spread adverse impact far beyond those who were immediately targeted in attacks. Victims may be produced directly through terrorism or indirectly through publicity of the attacks.
Accompanied with fear and coercion. Terrorism relies on shock, outrage, horror, discouragement, disruption, and intimidation to impel some sort of activity on the part of its victims. This includes both those targeted and the audience observing the attacks.
Directed toward the attainment of goals and objectives. Terrorism may have the aim of promoting political independence, social justice and human rights, environmental protection, religious freedoms or dominance, and other objectives (e.g. free reign of drug cartels or the halting of abortions).
When actions and events incorporate most or all of these traits, you may have increasing confidence that the activity is terrorism.

Conversely, if these features are not present, the incident in question cannot be considered in this light. Activities without these characteristics are more likely to be related to social movements or other types of violence.

TYPES OF TERRORISM (x5)

In spite of common features, terrorism may take on unique forms at any given time. Feliks Gross, an expert on terrorism in Russia and Eastern Europe, affirms that terrorism manifests itself in five different ways (Gross, 1990, p. 8). These include mass terror, dynastic assassination, random terror, focused terror, and tactical terror.

Mass terror is terrorism by the government in power against its own citizens. This is a situation in which the ruling regime suppresses the opposition to maintain control. The efforts of Saddam Hussein and his Republican Guard fall into this category. The Iraqi leaders used poison gas on the Kurds in the northern part of the country and killed or imprisoned anyone who dared to speak out against the dictatorship and military in this nation.
Dynastic assassination is the murder of the head official in government. Some may assert that the shooting of President Lincoln falls into this category. After shooting this leader, Booth shouted "Sic semper tyrannis," which translated means "Thus always to tyrants."
Random terror is an attack on large numbers of people wherever they gather. The coordinated attacks on Spanish trains on 11 March 2004 are an example of random terror. These blasts killed nearly 200 people and injured over 2000 others.
Focused terror is terrorism directed toward a specific group of people deemed as the enemy. The Polish Underground, an organization that opposed German occupation during World War II, practiced focused terror. They detonated explosives at a café where Nazi officers dinned (Combs 2000, p. 9).
Tactical terror is the use of attacks against the government for revolutionary or other purposes. The 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City by Timothy McVeigh is an example of tactical terror.

Assignment task:

Task: Per our lecture material and video sample located above, specifically the 5 Classifications of Terrorism, please create a writing sample in your own words, via your interpretations and understanding of our content, explaining what type of terror incident is observed in the VIDEO, and why you feel this way; this is based on your perceptions yet must provide valid components of one or more classifications evaluated: 250 words

Reference no: EM133716566

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