2. Terrorism A Conceptual Review

3. Terrorism First Impressions

4.  Overview of Extremism and Terrorism  Terrorism at First Glance  Sources of Extremism and Terrorism

5.  Overview of Extremism and Terrorism  Extremism: A quality that is “radical in opinion, especially in political matters; ultra; advanced.”  Terrorism: Politically motivated violence usually directed against soft targets with an intention to affect (terrorize) a target audience.

6.  Terrorism at First Glance  Perpetrators always claim to champion noble causes and values.  Advocates always cite righteous goals to justify their behavior.  Perpetrators uniformly maintain that they are freedom fighters or champions of law and social order.

7.  Sources of Extremism and Terrorism  Terrorist acts are grounded in extremist beliefs arising from group identity, intergroup conflict, and a chosen strategy.  A subject of extensive discussion, debate, and research.  Involves many disciplines: Sociology, psychology, criminology, political science.

8.  Political Violence: Mala Prohibita or Mala in Se ?  The Just War Doctrine

9.  Political Violence: Mala Prohibita or Mala in Se ?  Mala Prohibita : Acts that are “crimes that are made illegal by legislation.”  Not inherently immoral, wicked, or evil.  Cases: Gambling, prostitution, and so forth.  Mala in Se : Acts “that are immoral or wrong in themselves.”  Cannot be justified in civilized society and have no acceptable qualities.  Cases: Murder, rape, and so forth  Cases: Murder, rape, and so forth.

10.  The Just War Doctrine  An ideal and moralistic philosophy.  Jus in Bello : Correct behavior while waging war.  Jus ad Bellum : Correct conditions for waging war in the first place.  Often used conceptually by extremists to justify violence.

11.  The Significance of Symbolism  The Oklahoma City Bombing  September 11, 2001  Reorganization of Homeland Security and Intelligence

12.  The Significance of Symbolism  A central feature of terrorism.  Central to terrorists’ public relations and propaganda campaigns.  Targets symbolize the righteousness of the terrorists’ cause and the evil of their opponent.  Cases: Oklahoma City Bombing. 9/11.

13.  The Oklahoma City Bombing  An “act of war” by Timothy McVeigh.  A devotee of the extremist Patriot movement.  A believer in New World Order conspiracies.  Symbolism of April 19, 1995.  220 th anniversary of the American Revolution battles of Lexington and Concord.  Second anniversary of the assault on the Branch Davidian cult’s compound in Waco, Texas.

14.  September 11, 2001  World Trade Center and Pentagon symbolized American and Western power.  Carried out by 19 Al Qaeda terrorists on a suicidal “martyrdom mission.”  Done in response to perceived domination and exploitation of Muslim countries.

15.  Reorganization of Homeland Security and Intelligence in the United States  An attempt to unify the U.S. domestic security community.  A perceived failure to “connect the dots” to the 9/11 attacks.  Massive reorganization of law enforcement and services agencies into a single Department of Homeland Security.

17.  Richard Baumhammers  Low degree of criminal sophistication.  Neo-Nazi.  April 2000 “lone wolf” killing spree near Pittsburgh.  Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski  Medium degree of criminal sophistication.  Anarchist “war” against technology.  18-year bombing spree, labeled by FBI as Unabom.

18.  Ramzi Yousef  High degree of criminal sophistication.  Islamist jihadi.  February 26, 1993 bombing of World Trade Center.

19.  Antiquity  Tyrannicide.  Mass exile.  Suppression of “dangerous” ideas.  The Roman Age  Crucifixion.  Extermination and slavery.  Regicide.

20.  The Ancient and Medieval Middle East  Zealots and sicarii.  Assassins.  The French Revolution  Coined the word terrorism.  Reign of Terror.  Revolutionary Tribunal and mass executions.

21.  Nineteenth Century Europe  19 th Century revolutionary ideologies: Anarchism and Marxism.  Luddites.  People’s Will (Narodnaya Volya).  The Modern Era  The “New Terrorism.”  Cell-based, WMDs, politically vague or religious. asymmetrical, use of modern technologies.