Terrorism & Weapon Proliferation Mrs. Docterman CWA

Terrorism

Is terrorism just brutal, unthinking violence? No, always a strategy Bombing, shootings, hijackings, or assassinations are a deliberate use of violence against civilians for political or religious ends.

Is there a definition of terrorism? State Department’s definition: “premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.”

Four key elements of terrorism 1.Premeditated – planned in advance 2.Political – designated to change the existing political order 3.Aimed at civilians – not military 4.Carried out by sub-national groups – not the army of a country

Is terrorism a new phenomenon? No – terrorists during the holy wars killed civilians ( ) 1914 assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serb nationalist – start of WWI first time terrorism made for TV cameras – commercial airline hijacking by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Is terrorism aimed at an audience? Yes… designed to rattle and influence a wide audience, beyond the victims and violence itself Psychological impact of violence or threat of violence

Was 9/11 the deadliest terrorist attack in history? Yes… Before 9/11 the deadliest attacks were the bombings of airplanes, such as Pan Am Flight 103, destroyed over Scotland in 1988 by terrorists linked to Libya, killed over 300 people. In the U.S. Timothy McVeigh killed 168 people by bombing the federal office building in Oklahoma City in 1995.

September 11 th

Oklahoma City Bombing, 1995

Have terrorists used weapons of mass destruction? Yes… In 1995 members of Aum Shinrikyo, a Japanese cult, released sarin nerve gas into the Tokyo subway, killing 12 and wounding over 3500 – the first recorded use of chemical weapons by terrorists. The first deadly use of biological weapons by terrorists was the late 2001 U.S. mailings of anthrax-laced letters.

Aum Shinrikyo Subway disaster

Types of Terrorism Nationalist Religious State-sponsored Left-wing Right-wing Anarchist

What is nationalist terrorism? Seek to form a separate state for their own national group, often by fighting for something they feel the world has ignored.

What is religious terrorism? Seek to use violence to further what they see as divinely commanded purposes, often targeting broad categories of foes to attempt to bring about sweeping changed. Form many sects or cults

Examples of religious terrorist groups Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network Palestinian Sunni Muslim organization Hamas Lebanese Shiite group Hezbolloah White supremacist militias Aum Shinkrikyo doomsday cult in Japan

What is state-sponsored terrorism? Used by radical states as foreign policy tools – “a cost effective way of waging war covertly, through the use of surrogate warriors or guns for hire?

Which states sponsor terrorism? State Department says Iran is the primary state sponsor of terrorism today; it also accuses Cuba, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria

What is left-wing terrorism? They are out to destroy capitalism and replace it with a communist or socialist regime. They seem to focus on not hurting the civilians because they are trying to save them from “capitalism”, so they resort to kidnapping, or bombing of monuments.

What is a right-wing terrorist? They are the least organized terrorists, often associated with neo-Nazi street rioting in Western Europe Group dominated by skinheads who wanted to do away with liberal democratic governments and create fascist states Racist and antisemitic

What is anarchist terrorism? 1870’s to 1920 anarchist terrorism was a major phenomenon world wide. Revolutionaries seeking to overthrow established governments launched bombings and assassinated heads of state. President William McKinley was killed in 1901

Weapon Proliferation

What do all of these images have in common?

Violence Weapons Human and environmental destruction Threats to security Everyone is affected, regardless of race, age, gender

Discuss with a partner What causes a person to pick up a gun and go on a shooting spree or crash a plane into a building or use their own body for the purpose of suicide?

Possible answers Personal security/protection Anger Retribution Gain respect, feel powerful Insecurity

Discuss with a partner What causes a country to build up armies, stock up on nuclear weapons and small arms and research the potential for chemical and biological warfare?

Possible Answers Protect citizens Increase feelings of domestic security For fear that another country will develop a more powerful weapon and threaten security To show power in the global arena Prepare for domestic conflict

Disarmament The act of disarming, reduction of military forces and equipment. Non Proliferation The prevention of something increasing or spreading (especially the prevention of an increase in the number of countries possessing nuclear weapons)

Discuss with a partner What are the major areas in which disarmaments and non proliferation are being pursued and why?

Chemical Weapons Chemical substances that can be delivered using munitions and dispersal devices to cause death or severe harm to people, animals and plants. Mustard gas used in WWI

Biological Weapons Any infectious agent such as bacteria or virus used intentionally to inflict harm upon others. This definition is often expanded to include biologically – derived toxins and poisons Nerve gas, anthrax, small pox

Landmines An explosive mine laid in or on the ground Many from WWII, Korean War, Vietnam war and other country conflicts have not been removed.

Small Arms Weapons an individual can carry Light weapons are those operated by two or three people. AK 47s, revolvers, grenade launchers, mortars, and light missiles

Nuclear Weapons A weapon of mass destruction whose explosive power derives from a nuclear reaction. WWII bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Nuclear Weapons

Interesting Facts The global landmine crisis is one of the most pervasive problems facing the world today. It is estimated that there are between 60 and 70 million landmines in the ground in at least 70 countries. Landmines maim or kill approx 26,000 civilians every year, including 8,000 to 10,000 children.

At the beginning of the new millennium, the world has some 30,000 nuclear weapons. That is more than enough to end life on Earth as we know it. At least 16 billion units of military ammunition were produced in 2001 alone – more than two military bullets for every man, woman and child on the planet.

1/3 of countries spend more on the military than they do on health care services An average of US $22 billion a year is spent on arms by countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, and Latin America 300,000 children are fighting as soldiers An estimated 500,000 people die each year at the barrel of a gun – in war zones, as well as in peaceful cities and in their own homes.

The town of Ypres in Belgium, where some ½ million soldiers died in the first poison gas battle of WWI, is living proof of the long term effects of chemical weapons. More than 80 years after the battle, people continue to sicken and die from the poisons.

What are the implications of armament and proliferation? Risks to individuals and the environment Massive economic cost

What are the implications of armament and proliferation? It is necessary because arms are a major threat to human security, they cause enormous physical and psychological injuries, and they pose huge environmental risks. Economic cost = building weapon, dismantling of weapons, and rebuilding of nations.

“Every gun, every warship, every tank and every military aircraft built is, in the final analysis, a theft from those who are hungry and are not fed, from those who are naked and are not clothes.” - Dwight D Eisenhower

How does the international community go about Disarmament? Nations rely on treaties or agreements to advance disarmament. Countries in the UN negotiate these treaties. See timeline of disarmament treaties

Disarming individuals and nations of their weapons does not necessarily solve the problem. You have to take away the threat, and take away the ability to acquire weapons.