Terrorism

“Freedom and fear are at war…Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.”

President George W. Bush 20 September, 2001

Terrorism• Is an unlawful act of violence

• Intimidates governments or societies

• Goal is to achieve political, religious or ideological objectives

• FEAR!

“…warfare seeks to conquer territories and capture cities;

terrorism seeks to hurt a few people and to scare a lot of

people in order to make a point” NYTimes, 1/6/2000

Early History of Terrorism• Terror has been used to achieve

political ends and has a long history.

Types of Terrorism

• Nationalist

• Religious

• State-sponsored

• Left-wing

• Right-wing

• Anarchist

• Terrorism can be either domestic or international.

Anatomy of a Terrorist Attack

Preparation5 years

Terrorism takes much time and planning

Execution: 1 day

Diagnosed case: 3 days

First Deaths Occur

Methods of Terrorism

• Nuclear Weapon

• Biological Agents

• Chemical Agents

• Explosive and Incendiary Devices

Nuclear Terrorism

• Spreading of radioactive materials through ventilation system or explosion

• Disable nuclear reactor cooling system and cause leakage of radioactive materials

• Detonate a nuclear weapon

Biological Terrorism

• Dispersal of microbes or their toxins to produce illness, death and terror

• The paths of infection can be contaminated water, food, air and packages.

• Microbes– Bacteria– Viruses– Toxins

Biological Terrorism: Is This Something New?

• 14th Century – Kaffa

–City on Crimean Peninsula

• Hurled plague infested corpses over walls of city to infest it.

Biological Terrorism: Is This Something New?

• 18th Century French and Indian War– British Officers gave blankets from

smallpox victims to Indians aligned with French

– Caused an epidemic in tribes– Effective means of incapacitating

group

Example of Chemical Terrorism

• Sarin nerve agent attacked the Tokyo subway system in March 20, 1995

• 12 people were killed and 53 were seriously injured

Proportion of death from terrorism in

total death in the United States

Average death per year

From terrorism

From all causes

Proportion (%)

1990’s 8 2534203 0.0003

2001 2893 2404624 0.12

Why did terrorism draw considerable attention in 2001?

• The risk of dying from terrorism was extremely low in 1990’s, and was still relatively low compared with some diseases in 2001

• But the risk increased by 500 times in 2001 due to Sept. 11

• Overall the risk of terrorism has not been high• Despite the low risk, shock, surprise and fear

engulfed our country and world

U.S. Counterterrorism Policy

• First, make no concessions to terrorists and strike no deals.

• Second, bring terrorists to justice for their crimes.• Third, isolate and apply pressure on states that

sponsor terrorism to force them to change their behavior.

• Fourth, bolster the counterterrorism capabilities of those countries that work with the U.S. and require assistance.

Terrorism in the Future

• Could be higher levels of violence.

• Although technology aids in the defense against terrorism, it also provides terrorists with increased opportunities.

– Chemical weapons

– Weapons of mass destruction

Conclusion• Terrorism is a unlawful act meant to provoke

FEAR!• Terrorism has a long history of been used to

achieve political, religious and ideological objectives

• Terrorism can be conducted through nuclear, biological, chemical agents and explosive devices

• The risk of dying from terrorism is much lower than that from motor vehicles, smoking, and alcoholic beverage.

Terrorist attacks since 9/11