Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorism

1. Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorism “If there is a single power the West underestimates, it is the power of collective hatred.” Ralph Peters, 1999.

2. For More info see… • Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror, Michael Scheuer • Through Our Enemies' Eyes: Osama bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America, Revised Edition, Michael Scheuer • The Trouble With Islam Today, Irshad Manji • The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on the Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States • The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East, Robert Fisk • The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, Lawrence Wright

3. The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence to intimidate or coerce societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons. 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 (FBI) Potentially politically loaded term One person’s “terrorist” is another’s “freedom fighter” Terrorism most clearly defined by two characteristics Combatants do not represent a state Combatants deliberately target civilians Terrorism & terrorists violate int’l rules of war Terrorism

4. Popular Beliefs and Misconceptions about Terrorism • There is a widespread, but probably incorrectly belief that: • Terrorists are psychotic or mentally ill • Terrorists suffer personality disorders • Terrorist violence is the result of personal frustration, or economic deprivation • Terrorist violence is a reaction to personal grievances, including personal humiliation, anger, or shame • Terrorists are victims of physical or psychological coercion from mastermind recruiters ("brainwashing")

5. Terrorism as Strategy • Terrorism as weapon in a strategy • Terrorist attacks = form of strategic communication • Terrorism is not new • Terrorism is not merely religious: 1980 Bologna, Munich attacks; LTTE (Sri Lanka) “You have to be lucky everyday – We only have to be lucky once” - IRA Bomber

6. The Tactics of Terrorism • Six tactics of terrorism: • Bombing (most common) • Hijacking • Arson • Assault • Kidnapping • Hostage Taking • Weapons of mass destruction?

7. Effects of Terror • Economy • Each and every individual • Irrational in nature • Decreases any feeling of security • Drains resources • Places whole country on alert: • ?overreaction • ?False sense of security or irrelevant

8. Some Strategic Objectives of Terrorism • Recognition: Gaining national or international recognition for their cause; recruiting new personnel; raising funds; demonstrating their strength • Coercion: Force a desired behavior of an individual or government • Intimidation: Prevent individuals, groups, or governments from acting • Provocation: Provoking overreaction by a government to the attack on symbolic targets or personnel, thereby gaining sympathy for their cause. • Insurgency support: Forcing the government to overextend itself in dealing with the threat, thereby allowing the insurgency to gain support and commit further attacks against the government.

9. Terrorism Is Theatre As stated by Brian Jenkins - terrorism expert - terrorist acts are often deliberately spectacular, designed to rattle and influence a wide audience, beyond the victims of the violence itself.

10. Television and Terrorism: A Cozy Relationship • Over the years, several studies have pointed to the close relationship between terrorism and television • The purpose of television news • News programming provides information, but it is also designed to keep audiences watching • One of the purposes is to keep the audience primed with emotion and excitement • Terrorism is perfect for this scenario because it is so dramatic

11. Television and Terrorism: A Cozy Relationship • Basic elements of television drama • Viewers are encouraged to “stay tuned” • The station provides an expert interpreter • The reports give the illusion that somehow the audience and be in control of the situation

12. The Media as a Force Multiplier • American media and Arab media • America broadcasted its versions of truth both domestically and abroad, and American news has always been self-absorbed • In the 1990s a new Arab television network, al Jazeera, began broadcasting news from an Arab perspective

13. The Media as a Force Multiplier • Terrorists use the media to reach audiences in a new way • At first, terrorists reached audiences with drama • As time went on, terrorists realized that hostage dramas were made for television • If terrorists could successfully manipulate the situation, they could portray both hostages and themselves as victims while police and military forces appeared to be aggressors

14. The Media as a Force Multiplier • The Internet as a force multiplier • The Internet is one of the most important force multipliers easily available to terrorists • The Internet is a powerful tool for opposition forces in authoritarian regimes • Terrorists run their own websites, sometimes hack into exiting sites to broadcast propaganda videos, and also imbed pixels in legitimate websites to transmit secret communications

15. Security Forces vs. Reporters • Security forces conflicting with the media • Terrorists want to use the media as a psychological weapon, while governments seek to harness the power of the media for social control • Law enforcement and military goals conflict directly with the needs of the media • Officially, police and security forces recognize the media’s right to report information, but they develop elaborate plans to control reporting

16. Security Forces vs. Reporters • Points of views about terrorism and the media • Some members and supporters of the press see the media as a quasi-constitutional force keeping the government in check • Some want to limit press coverage during terrorist events • The media may exploit terrorism, but they rarely convey messages favorable to terrorism

17. Security Forces vs. Reporters • Terrorist theater • The media is filled with action and it is entertaining • However, research suggests that the coverage of terrorism is not helpful to terrorist groups • Reporting terrorist events increases the public’s knowledge about terrorism, but builds little sympathy for terrorists

18. Does Reporting Make Terrorism Contagious? • The Internet and the contagion effect • Contagion is magnified when rumors are spread through e-mails, and websites • Copycat effect • The greatest proponents of contagion theory argue that media reporting, especially television, leads to a copycat effect • The reason is that media reports encourage people to transform dark thoughts into reality

19. Censorship Debates • Three choices when it comes to freedom of the press and terrorism • To assume a laissez-faire, or hands-off, attitude • Censorship • Self-regulation

20. Terrorism is a Political Act • Creates extreme fear and anxiety in a target group larger than immediate victims • “Extra-normal violence in a symbolic act” • Specific victims have no particular significance to terrorist

21. Terrorism is Not Irrational • Terrorist use logic that links • Goals • Objectives • Strategy

22. States Sponsoring Terrorism Today • Iran • Iraq • Syria • Sudan • Libya • N. Korea • Cuba

23. State Sponsored Terrorism Hizballah receives backing and assistance from the Governments of Iran and Syria. • IRAN shaped Hizballah’s ideology, gave it political backing and helped build its operational capabilities. Iran currently continues to support Hizballah terrorism, by providing it with training and weapons, financial aid and assistance for carrying out terror attacks. • SYRIA supports and trains Hizballah and allows it to build its infrastructure under Syrian auspices. Hizballah is used as a political tool against Israel by the Syrian president. • LEBANON provides a territorial base where Hizballah can freely operate and advance its terrorist infrastructure.

24. State Sponsored Terrorism Ideology Iran Financing Training Directions Syria Logistics Host Breeding ground Lebanon Operational Base Terror Hub Hizballah Execution

25. Hizballah’s Arsenal of Weapons

26. Terrorism is a Political Act • A weapon of psychological purposes • Premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnation or clandestine agents usually intended to influence an audience

27. Terrorism in the USA • The first incident of antifederal behavior came shortly after the American Revolutionary War • 1791- The Whiskey Rebellion • The Civil War • Southerners were fighting to keep the power of local government • KKK-Purpose: to intimidate supporters of Reconstruction • Abortion Clinics

28. Ecoterrorism in the US • Earth Liberation Front (ELF) • ELF migrated from Europe to the United States • The alliance has been responsible for more than six hundred criminal acts since 1996 • Its tactics include sabotage, tree spiking, property damage, intimidation, and arson

29. Ecoterrorism, Animal Rights, and Genetic Engineering • Ecoterrorism today • Most violence associated with ecoterrorism has taken place in the American West • From 1995-1999, damages total $28.8 million • ELF activities have increased each year since 1999 • Ecoterrorists are uncompromising, illogical extremists just like their right-wing counterparts; They use ecology as a surrogate religion

30. Murrah Federal BuildingOklahoma City25 June 1994 • 168 Dead • 490 Injured

31. Terrorist tactics have been admired in the past… • American Revolution • Was the Boston Tea Party an act of terrorism????? • What about the French Resistance that fought against Germany in WWII? • Russian and Spanish Guerrilla warfare vs. Napoleon???? • Terrorist or Freedom Fighter???? • Are we Terrorists? • Bombing of other countries when they do something we don’t like? • Iraq • Libya • Panama

32. Why Terrorism??? • Terrorism and guerrilla warfare • Ability to compete with “superpowers” • Legitimate form of warfare? • Applicability of “Laws of war” (legitimate nations at a disadvantage?) • Terrorists have advantage of surprise and initiative • What methods may be used to combat terrorist/guerrilla attacks? Advantages and disadvantages of each (loss of innocent life, collateral damage, etc.)

33. Why Terrorism? Because It Works • The anthrax case: • 3 teaspoons worth of anthrax • $27,500,000 to clean up Senate Office Building • $300,000,000 to clean up postal facilities • Two pounds of anthrax would saturate all of Manhattan. • 9/11- 19 Hijackers killed thousands and caused Trillions of dollars in economic damage.

34. Terrorist Profiles: Three Views • Hacker one of first criminal profilers • Hacker’s three types of terrorists: • Criminals • Join terrorist groups for payoff or vengeance • Crazies • Join terrorist groups for thrills of lifestyle • Crusaders • People who believe deeply in a cause

35. Creating Terrorist Organizations • Pyramid Organization: • Support is most common job in terrorist groups • Fraser and Fulton’s hierarchy of terrorist group: • Smallest group at the top is responsible for command • Second level is active cadre—people who carry out organization’s mission • Third level is most important: active supporters • Fourth level is passive supporters; largest group

36. Terrorism Support Base Actual terrorists Active supporters Passive supporters Sympathizers

37. Suicide Terror Attacks are . . . • inexpensive and effective; extremely favorable per-casualty cost benefits for the terrorists • less complicated and compromising – no escape plan needed, and success means no assailant to capture and interrogate • perhaps the ultimate “smart bomb” – this “weapon” can cleverly disguise itself, use various modes of deception, and effect last minute changes in timing, access, and target • a strategic communication device – successful attacks are virtually assured media coverage • effective because the weaker opponentacts as coercer and the stronger actor is the target • Key difference from other attacks: The target of suicide campaign cannot easily adjust to minimize future damage

38. Suicide Terrorism: Where? Three types of attacks are most likely to occur: • High value, symbolic targets involving mass casualties • Important government buildings, installations, or landmarks • Major means of personal or commercial transportation • High value, symbolic targets against specific persons • Political assassinations (e.g., head of state, regional governor, etc.) • Deliberately lethal attacks targeting the public • Bus, train, subway bombings; attacks on shopping malls, cinemas, sports stadiums, public gathering spaces

39. Suicide Terrorism • The use of suicide terrorism as a tactic has changed the nature of terrorism and the war in Iraq. • In most cases, the use of suicide terrorism has tended to improve the success of terrorists and frustrated their more capable, better-resourced enemies (i.e., US, EU) • This analysis is based on Robert Pape’s article in the Aug. 2003 American Political Science Review (vol. 97, no. 3, 343-361)

40. Suicide Terrorism • Suicide terrorism was seldom used but not unknown before 1980 • The 1983 attack on the US Marine barracks in Lebanon was a spectacular early use of this tactic • Since that time its use has risen sharply

41. Suicide Terrorism Source: Jewish Virtual Library.org

42. Types of Suicide Terrorism • Suicide attack on foot, explosive belt -- numerous Iraq • Attempted suicide attack with a plane as target -- Richard Reid on American Airlines Flight 63 • Suicide car bomb -- numerous Iraq • Suicide attack by a boat with explosives -- USS Cole bombing • Suicide attack by a submarine with explosives (human-steered torpedo) -- Kaiten, used by Japan in WWII • Suicide attack by a plane with explosives -- kamikaze • Suicide attack by a hijacked plane with fuel -- 9/11 • Suicide attack by diverting a bus to an abyss -- Tel Aviv Jerusalem bus Massacre • Suicide attack with guns -- Kashmiri insurgents on the Indian Parliament in December 2001 killing 15 people.

43. Profile of Suicide Terrorists • The original descriptions of characteristics of suicide terrorists pointed to depressed, isolated, uneducated, embittered loners carrying out attacks, motivated by a sense of powerlessness • The rising numbers of suicide attacks has made this profile obsolete • Suicide terrorists may be young, middle class, well-educated, female • Religion seems to be a significant motivation in many cases, but not all (e.g., Tamil Tigers, Sri Lanka)

44. 5 Principles of Suicide Terrorism • Suicide terrorism is strategic -- Groups announce their goals and cease attacks when those goals are met • Designed to coerce modern democracies, usually over territorial claims -- Every suicide terrorist attack since 1980 has been directed against a democratic form of government • Suicide terrorism has been rising for the past 25 years because it is often partially successful -- Palestinian management/control: West Bank, Gaza -- Regional autonomy negotiations for Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka -- Limited toleration for Kurdish minority in Turkey

45. 5 Principles of Suicide Terrorism 4. More ambitious, large-scale attacks are unlikely to prove increasingly successful -- Large democratic states have little political incentive to concede when the stakes are very high -- public support 5. The most promising tactic for reducing suicide terrorism is by reducing the terrorists’ confidence in further success -- Border control, increased internal security -- Military action alone is unlikely to create this effect

46. Types of Terrorism • Terrorists have a choice of tactics to use depending on the desire effect • Demonstrative Terrorism • Used mainly to gain publicity, recruit activists • May announce their action in advance (bomb threat) • Destructive Terrorism • More aggressive, seeks to coerce enemies • Balance between effect of act and the potential to alienate potential sympathizers • Suicide Terrorism • Most aggressive • May alienate the terrorists’ own community

47. Types of Terrorism • Two factors related to the news media are crucial • Projection of an image of being unstoppable • Projection of an image of being very numerous • Suicide terrorism is an aspect of asymmetrical warfare, where the terrorist organization is weaker than their enemy • Their actions are a punishment for not acceding to previous demands • Fear is intensified by the credible threat of additional future attacks

48. Selected Suicide Terror Campaigns

49. Analysis of Religious Terrorism • Religious fanaticism and technology • Terrorists behave differently from regular criminals, religious terrorists behave differently from political terrorists • Religious terrorists are not constrained by the same factors that inhibit other types of terrorists

50. Analysis of Religious Terrorism • Holy Terror vs. Secular Terror • Secular terrorists operate within a dominant political and cultural framework • Secular terrorists would rather make allies than indiscriminately kill their enemies • Holy terrorists see the world as a battlefield between the forces of light and darkness • Holy terrorists see killing as a sacramental act. Examples can be found in: • The Koran • Christian Old Testament • Hebrew Bible