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Geopolitics of Terrorism. INR 456 Political Geography. Definition of terrorism. Terrorism can be defined as the use of organized intimidation or indiscriminative violence for the purpose of coercing a government and or community . Non-state terrorist groups:
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Geopolitics of Terrorism INR 456 Political Geography
Definition of terrorism • Terrorism can be defined as the use of organized intimidation or indiscriminative violence for the purpose of coercing a government and or community. • Non-state terrorist groups: • the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Baader-Meinhof, Red Brigade, Tamil Tigers, Euzkadito Askatasuna (ETA), Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Hamas, Hizbullahand PKK.
Types of Terrorism • Non-state terrorism • Challenge the political legitimacy of nation-states through indiscriminative violence • State terror • Supporting acts of terrorism against civilian populations throughout the Third World. (American support to military regimes in Latin America to contain communist groups) • CIA covert operations to assassinate political leaders (Attempt to assassinate Castro in Cuba) • Soviet invasion of Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968), assassination of leaders of domestic dissent.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/06/heat-map-terrorism-around-the-world-the-u-s-is-among-the-least-affected/
Purposes of Terrorist Organizations • Political Objectives • Independence • Territorial Claims (Secessionism) • Ideological clashes • Red Brigades in Italy • Baader-Meinhof in Germany • Al-Qaeda seeks to eradicate Western cultural, economic, military and political influence from the Middle Eastern and Islamic world.
Why do terror networks challenge traditional geopolitics? • Traditional geopolitics was dominated by states and their geopolitical interests. • Traditional geopolitics focuses on relations between states with a fixed geography. • States whose location on the world map is determining its foreign policy. • Given the fixed geography of the state, other states have an almost accurate intelligence where a threat might come from.
The very nature of the terrorist network implies diffusion and the lack of a well-established territorial centre. • Terrorist organizations do not have fixed, permanent country but they use countries as safe havens and temporary military bases. • For instance, Al-Qaeda uses Afghanistan, Sudan and Yemen as temporary bases, yet their terrorist activities take place in Western states and there are Al-Qaeda cells/members/sympathizers in Western countries.
In the post-Cold War era, the world was believed to be divided into two zones: • Peaceful zones • Western World • Developed countries • Conflict zones/Wild zones • Failed States • Ethnic conflicts • Civil Wars • Terrorist activities
International Terrorism has changed this divided world picture. • There is no peaceful zone which is secure from any terrorist attacks.
Geopolitical events which cultivated the emergence of Al-Qaeda • Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 • American assistance to Taliban to fight against Soviets • Islamic Revolution in Iran • US intervention to Iraq (The First Gulf War) • Yugoslavian war and ethnic cleansing of Muslims in the Balkans
“No cliché is more stupefying than that which describes Al Qaeda as a throwback to medieval times. It is a by-product of globalisation. Like the worldwide drug cartels and virtual business corporations that developed in the 90s, it evolved at a time when financial deregulation had created vast pools of offshore wealth and organised crime had gone global. Its most distinctive form – projecting a privatised form of organised violence worldwide – was impossible in the past.” (Gray 2003: 1–2)
War on terror • How to respond to a networked organization that changes rapidly and unpredictably? • After 9/11 US’s strategy to fight against Al-Qaeda had three strategic objectives: • Overthrow political regimes which are supporting or hosting terrorist organizations • Eradicate terrorist cells • Exterminate terrorist leaders. • The instrumental ways war on terror has been carried out: • Unilateral operations • Making alliances in the war on terror • Seeking military contributions and intelligence sharing
Bush Doctrine • Based on neoconservatist foreign policy approach • US hegemony has to be maintained (Military buildup) • US-style democracy has to be spread throughout the world • Interventionist foreign policy: A process of regime change through military means. • Preemptive attack: Military actions taken to prevent a possible future aggression. It is a form of self-defence by anticipation.