Terrorism

Terrorism is a current problem that is quite concerning. Not only in America but around the world, terrorism is seen. This is a global issue as terrorist organizations and individuals spread terror through different methods and tactics to achieve their aims. Terrorism has many other forms that can include both direct attacks or the more indirect use of propaganda which targets populations to produce fear and cause national or international instability. Terrorists can have harmful effects on society that lead people to consider change within social structures, including government, media, education, churches, or other influential groups that support this ideology. It is essential to discuss different methods that terrorists use to gain support for their aims, the different strategies and tactics that terrorists use to cause fear within specific communities, and the various ways that people can counter terrorist groups. 

Methods that Terrorists use to Gain Support

Terrorists use various ways to gain support for their aims, such as referencing specific religious texts. Referencing religious texts or propaganda is an overall strategy that terrorist groups utilize to gain support for their aims. This can include the Quran, Bible as well as other religious texts. Terrorist groups can use this sacred text to justify their actions and gain support from the religious community. It is essential to understand that not all terrorists are motivated by religion and that not every individual with extremist views is a terrorist. Still, it can be seen that using specific religious texts to gain support for their actions is a common theme amongst many different terrorist organizations around the world. This method of gaining support can be seen in the right-wing terrorist group, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) (Newell et al., 2020). The KKK is one of the oldest terrorist organizations in America. Some members of the Klan are Christian extremists who believe they are trying to get rid of sinners and enemies of Christianity. Many Klan members from this organization believe that their actions were justified by using specific Biblical texts as justification for their actions. This can be seen in the "revival" ceremonies that the KKK had, such as burning crosses. Burning the crosses was seen as a "sacred duty" to show God had forsaken the area. Many people opposed this ideology due to their religious views, but another group supported this organization because they believed it was for God.

Another way terrorist groups can gain support for their actions is by using social media to spread propaganda. Terrorist groups often post photos of their members online to show people who they are. This is a common tactic used by most terrorist groups on the internet today. It is essential to understand that terrorists often use the internet for propaganda, using social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to spread their propaganda worldwide, gaining supporters, and communicating with different terrorist organizations (Radulescu, 2020). The internet can be seen as a free global public square that terrorists can utilize to spread their message and gain supporters. 

Strategies and Tactics that Terrorists use to Cause Fear

 Terrorists can utilize many strategies and tactics to produce fear within communities and cause national or international instability. These strategies and tactics include suicide bombing, hijacking, hostage taking, targeting mass gatherings, assassinations, kidnapping, and funding terrorist organizations. Suicide bombing involves the terrorists detonating explosives within their bodies to kill themselves and produce a large amount of panic within the community (Markovic, 2019). The idea is to make people believe that the terrorists will die after they attack and spread fear amongst the population. Hijacking involves taking control of a vehicle, such as an airplane, train, or ship, and using it for their aims without the permission of the individuals in control.

Hostage-taking involves an individual or group holding people hostage, often to press their demands on the government. Targeting mass gatherings involves terrorizing one particular community, such as a target on the ground or in the air, and killing many people rather than just targeting one individual. This can be seen in terrorist groups like Hamas, which target civilian populations to spread fear and cause instability (Margolin, 2022). Assassinations involve killing confident political leaders to influence the country. Kidnapping involves capturing an individual to achieve a specific goal, such as a ransom or a prisoner exchange. Funding terrorist organizations involve financing or helping terrorist activities without actually practicing attacks. These methods create fear among communities and civilians.

Ways that People can use to Counter Terrorist Groups

There are many methods that people can utilize to counter terrorist groups. The primary approach is diplomacy with groups to resolve issues that may cause tension between communities and these organizations. Diplomacy involves speaking to the leadership of the organization and discussing issues. One example of this is the unwavering support by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Israel, even though India has had a longstanding policy of solidarity with Palestine (Puthan, 2020). Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu visited Modi and held various bilateral talks between both leaders. This demonstrates that peace and prosperity can come from cooperation between countries through diplomacy, even if they have different political views and ideologies.

Another method of countering terrorist groups is to use security measures to prevent attacks from occurring. Security measures are things such as surveillance, detection, and protection. Security measures are helpful because they help reinforce the idea that individuals will be safe no matter their actions. This allows individuals to feel safe and refrain from engaging in activities that may lead to being harmed by terrorists. For example, Muslims in India have been the target of right-wing terrorism (Singh, 2019). The Indian state has increased security measures to prevent these attacks. This is an example of security measures being used to counteract terrorism.

Another method includes using military forces to eliminate terrorist groups and prevent future attacks. It is essential to understand that counter-terrorism efforts should be legal and consistent with political, social, and ethical considerations to succeed. Military actions should be used to counter terrorism because they can eliminate the organization and prevent future attacks (LaFree & Freilich, 2019). However, it is essential to weigh the consequences of using military forces due to the harm that they might create. Military forces can create tension and unrest within communities causing further violence, and may not successfully eliminate terrorism.

Finally, terrorist groups can be combated using financial sanctions to prevent them from committing violent activities. Economic sanctions are laws or regulations restricting or preventing financial transactions related to a particular party, such as a terrorist organization. For example, monetary sanctions are used by the United States to prevent Iran from trading with other countries (Ghasseminejad & Jahan-Prvar, 2019). Financial sanctions can hurt terrorist organizations because they lack funding and cannot function properly. However, even though these methods can be effective, it is important to note that they can also have a harmful effect on the civilians because they may not successfully eradicate terrorism and lead to more people being harmed and killed. Using financial sanctions to combat terrorism can cause less harm to civilians and lead to more success.

It is vital to identify the various methods that terrorists use to counter-terrorism. The procedures and the organizations that terrorists use vary; therefore, it is also crucial to learn about them to be countered. There are many methods that terrorist groups operate, and they all have one thing in common; they create fear within civilians and destroy the peace within communities. The plans to counter terrorism can vary and depend on the situation and the organization that is being targeted. It is essential to understand that counter-terrorism efforts should be legal and consistent with political, social, and ethical considerations to succeed. Military forces should not be used if they will do more harm than good. Diplomacy, security measures, financial sanctions, and other methods can be used to prevent terrorism and reduce the chance of future attacks occurring.

References

Ghasseminejad, S., & Jahan-Parvar, M. R. (2021). The impact of financial sanctions: The case of Iran. Journal of Policy Modeling, 43(3), 601-621. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpolmod.2021.03.001

LaFree, G., & Freilich, J. D. (2019). Government policies for counteracting violent extremism. Annual Review of Criminology, 2, 383-404.

Margolin, D. (2022). # Hamas: A thematic exploration of Hamas’s English-language Twitter. Terrorism and political violence, 34(6), 1076-1101. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2020.1761343

Markovic, V. (2019). Suicide squad: Boko Haram’s use of the female suicide bomber. Women & Criminal Justice, 29(4-5), 283-302. https://doi.org/10.1080/08974454.2019.1629153

Newell, M. (2020). Comparing American perceptions of post-Civil War Ku Klux Klan and transnational violence. Security dialogue, 51(4), 287-304. https://doi.org/10.1177/0967010619895223

Puthan Purayil, M. (2020). Shifting trajectory in India-Israel relations under Modi. Israel Affairs, 26(3), 471-483. https://doi.org/10.1080/13537121.2020.1754594

Rădulescu, B. G. (2020). The “Electronic Jihad” How Social Media are Used for Disseminating Terrorist Propaganda. ME. DOK Média-Történet-Kommunikáció, 15(3), 89-97.

Singh, U. K. (2019). Law, state and right-wing extremism in India. Journal of policing, intelligence and counter terrorism, 14(3), 280-297. https://doi.org/10.1080/18335330.2019.1667518