A Terrorist Attack In Our Future

A Terrorist Attack in Our Future

Joseph Parish

For today’s rant, I am going to discuss one of the subjects that appeals to me the most. My friends and family are well aware that one of my goals is to become somewhat of a foremost expert on the subject of terrorism. With that being said I will continue on with the subject of this article.

An individual named Canter reminded us that terrorism is a comprehensive process which places us at a loss to describe it within the framework of a single theory or a single explanation. He further alliterated that the psychological as well as the social aspects of this progression tend to under-represent the terrorist in most published accounts. The sheer number of terrorist organizations which exist today is an indication that terrorists and their policies are considerably acceptable, varied and extremely diverse. Although it is difficult at best to acquire information pertaining to the terrorist processes, the data which we are able to gather can be employed to further empathize the true nature of the terrorists and why they do the things which they do. By accepting that terrorism is a process rather than a mere act, we can hope to comprehend the complete enigma rather than assume that the acts are a result of a mental problem or psychological disturbance.

Although terrorism and the terrorist is not a twenty century concept and can trace its roots far back in history it is nonetheless relatively difficult to define. It has been inadequately described as both a tactical ploy, as well as strategic action, some have described it as a crime against mankind while the terrorist religious zealots view is as a holy duty. When Osama bin Laden video taped his “act of war” upon America, his rhetoric was composed entirely of religious overtones. In either case the end results of the terrorist’s actions are deplorable and an unpardonable abomination towards their fellow man. It is obvious, therefore, that one’s outlook towards terrorists is guided upon what point of view is taken. It can often be confused with the idea of a freedom fighter since the terrorist beliefs in their goals border closely with those of the freedom fighters themselves. In some mindsets the terrorist would be viewed as a serial killer considering the number of deaths which their acts tend to accumulate. An interesting concept in this manner of thinking is that if one identifies and supports the concepts being promoted by the terrorist than they can be thought of as heroes whereas from the victim’s standpoint they are viewed as mere terrorists. This would tend to indicate that by its very nature the concept of terrorism and terrorists represents some of the most disputed terms in existence. As an example, I had a friend in Brazil who was viewed by the existing government at the time as a terrorist, but to the common man he was a freedom-fighter so it amounts to the viewpoint being taken.

Throughout history terroristic tactics have often been deployed and proven effective for the weaker of the two forces involved in a conflict. It offers the side using it a means of coercive power possessing many advantages associated with a larger military force at a mere fraction of the overhead of a real military organization.

The Department of Defense defines terrorism as a deliberate product of unlawful violence or threat to create fear which is intended to coerce or intimidate societies or governments in pursuit of specific goals which are usually of an ideological, political or religious nature. Notice that there are three key elements present in this definition. They are fear, intimidation and violence. All three are intended to produce terror within their victims.

The FBI’s definition on the other hand is that terrorism is the unlawful acts of violence or force perpetrated against persons or property with the intent to intimidate or to coerce the government, a civilian population segment towards enhancement of social or political objectives. We can see that these definitions are quite involved and get lengthy. If we turn to the Department of State our definition becomes the premeditated acts of politically-motivated violence which is perpetrated against civil targets by groups and usually intended to influence the people involved. In its simplest form terrorism would entail the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion against others.

Terrorists do not commit their acts of destruction and killing in an arbitrary fashion. Every act of terror accomplished by the perpetrators must implore some sort of response and usually the media bestows the stimulus for these responses. Terrorist acts are calculated to induce wholesale fear, to provide a measure of control over the victims and to solicit audience participation. The “old media” was the flawless means by which terrorists could relay their messages and hopefully gain public support. The media become consumed by the actions of the terrorist groups while the various subversive organizations tend to bask in the limelight as this media coverage endows the terrorist with the desired attention which they seek. All these measures as verified by the media are mere tools for the terrorist in their recruitment and propaganda projects.

Terrorism is designed specifically to gain attention to the terrorist’s cause. It is in this manner that terrorists communicate their particular message to their targeted listeners. When the media communicates to their own listeners, they are complementing the terrorist groups. In the past, under the “old media” the terrorist got his message via the clandestine radio stations, underground newspapers or by the usual methods of media participation such as television, radio and the press. The significance of the new media centers upon the internet, inexpensive video production and private television stations. In the early days of terrorism, there existed an essential element of the terrorist agenda to be released to the public, however, that is not so today with the worldwide internet access. No longer does it take days and weeks for information to be distributed, but with the new media the complete process involves only a couple of hours. Many of the modern terrorist organizations maintain their own websites which frequently display their side of the pertinent issues.

Types of terrorist attacks such as was experienced in New York City on September 11, 2001 have caused considerable concern involving possible similar incidents in the future. These thoughts have raised the issues of what things can one do in preparation of terrorist attacks should they take place again. There are multitudes of organizations in America, which offer advice on how to prepare for a terrorist attack. Unfortunately, not all media are concerned about those issues of terror preparedness. I personally have tried to convince one of our local newspapers to begin publishing articles on preparedness – all to no avail.

The fact of the matter is that we cannot remove all possible risks and it’s important to realize that no amount of national strategy developed by homeland security will ensure our safety and prevent terrorism. Our goals must be a firm determination to succeed in preventing those actions intended to deter future terrorist attacks and be prepared in the event of failure. It is vital that we develop strategies for various scenarios in order to meet the broadest spectrum of possible threats. Within the framework of the developed strategies we should attempt to define the people that could be involved, the protocols which may be employed and the technologies responsible for the acts. Accompany these strategies with potential outcomes and align our budget and available resources with these outcomes. Since we are facing enemies where their agility tends to defeat our bureaucracy, it is necessary to plan an active process rather than a mere static plan. Only by adopting any of our plans to possible new threats can we hope to defend ourselves from the terrorist threats to our land. More information on terrorism is readily available in my book entitled, Mind of a Terrorist.

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