Terrorism and State Terrorism

Key questions

What is terrorism?

What are the social and political effects of terrorism?

Why do non-state groups choose terrorism as a form of political action?

Why do states use terrorism?

Plan of Today’s Lecture

Definitions: What is terrorism?

Non-state terrorist groups and their aims

Who gets labelled a terrorist? Who doesn’t?

The efficacy of terrorism

State-sponsored terrorism

I. Definitions

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The State

“The state is an entity which claims a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence.” (Max Weber)

Terrorism

Rejects the notion that only states can legitimately use violence.

Is the use of violence to achieve political objectives

Different from other forms of violence because it’s never aimed just at the people it harms

Designed to have far-reaching psychological effects

How did the WTC bombings meet these

criteria?

Media as Force Multiplier

Terrorist attacks are designed to gain maximum publicity.

Media coverage amplifies psychological effect.

Media as a Force MultiplierTargets are often

symbolic or iconic: the goal is to gain attention for a cause and destroy what the target stands for, not to eliminate the object itself.

Example: The Pentagon

A tool of non-state actors

Terrorism is often a tool of non-state groups who do not control armies or vast armories.

It is cost-effective violence for small groups.

Sendoro Luminoso

The Dolphinarium Bombing

II. Terrorist groups and their aims

FARC: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia

Al-Qaeda

Hamas

Hezbollah

Non-state groups that use terrorism:

Islamic Non-IslamicETA

Red Brigades

FARC

Shining Path

KKK

Weather Underground

How are they formed?Often formed in

refugee camps

Can be organized around religion or political ideology (eg Marxism, nationalism)

Soldier in a FARC poppy field

FundingNarcotics

Remittances

Natural resources

Covert State Funding

Soldier in a FARC poppy field

III. Labelling TerroristsTerrorism is a technique, not a

property intrinsic to groups.

The label “terrorist” is meant to label some people’s use of violence illegitimate (while others’ use of violence is made legitimate.)

States often label non-state groups terrorists, while claiming their own violent action is an acceptable use of force.

The label itself is a political tool.

US has put Hamas on official list of terrorist groups.

Hamas is now the democratically elected government of the Gaza Strip.

Should the US be willing to have diplomatic relations?

Labelling TerroristsHamas

Controversy

III. The Efficacy of Terrorism

British soldiers in Afghanistan

What do terrorists gain?Can create chaos and discord in

society

Can weaken political institutions

Can force the state to incur huge costs to prevent terrorismPoliceIntelligenceDisaster preparednessUS wars in Afghanistan and Iraq=$4

trillion

But….Often creates citizen

support for the state

Can strengthen the resolve of target governments

Fosters a powerful backlash against the non-state groupArab Spring and the

irrelevance of al-Qaeda.

IV. State Terrorism

What is state terrorism?The attempt by a state to use violence

against civilians to win political conflict with non-state groups.

Practiced byauthoritarian states and in breakaway regions.

Can be state-sponsored terrorism against third countries

Example: Libya and the Lockerbie bombing

State terrorism in Chechnya

Chechen Conflict1700s—absorbed into Russian empire

1930s—Stalinist purges kill many

1944—entire Chechen population deported

1957—allowed to return

1992—Chechen declaration of independence

1994 and 1999—Chechen wars

Today—ongoing kidnappings and shootings

Natalya Estimirova

Take-Home Points

Terrorism is a political tool

It can be used by both state and non-state actors

The monopoly of legitimate violence is being challenged in the post Cold War World.