Terrorism
Abstract
Terrorism is normally considered as a threat to peace and stability across many countries. In the United States, there are rampant fears due to international terrorist conspiracies and emerging terror acts that are mostly linked to major terror groups such as al-Qaeda. Some of the most immediate consequences of terrorism are physical destruction, as terror groups tend to damage properties worth millions of dollars. For instance, Terrorist attacks in the United States have always affected the financial sector as it led to great damages range from buildings and other crucial sectors such as businesses. In modern society, the majority of terrorists are now utilizing modern weapons to launch a widespread attack against different attacks. Equally, terror organizations are taking advantage of the social media platforms to convey and disseminate information aimed at encouraging the populace to join the terror groups. The September eleventh attacks are characterized as one of the large scale terror attacks that transpired in the United States.
Keywords: Terrorism, Attacks, weapons, social media
Terrorism
Terrorism can be described as a strategy of utilizing threats, intimidation, and violence against a given populace, country or individual. Normally, terrorists use a wide range of brutality, weaponry, and force to cause harm and manipulate human beings so as to attain their illegal goals. Nonetheless, terrorism entails criminal acts that are undertaken by organized terror groups or individuals. Terrorism has turned out to be an international threat especially after the 9/11 attacks in the united states of America. Terrorism remains a predominant issue for the global community including the United States of America. In the United States, for instance, terror attacks have led to deleterious impacts such as many deaths and destruction of properties. In order to generate prevalent fear, most terror groups engage in violent and high profile attacks by suicide bombings, hijackings, and even hostage-takings. In the modern years, terrorists and terror groups who are influenced by domestic ideologies have engaged in criminal acts that have contributed to more deaths in America. For example, Domestic violent extremists are persons are who plan or launch attacks in the united says. Since the attacks of September 2001, there have been other attacks in America and are linked to homegrown violent extremists. Consequently, the following essay seeks to expound on the history of terrorism in the United States of America, the different types of terrorism in the US, the different tactics of terrorism and some prevention strategies.
History of Terrorism in the US
The history of major and fatal terror attacks in the united states can be traced back to terror attacks such as the September 2001 terror attacks, 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing,1920 Wallstreet bombing. Even though there are numerous terror acts that have occurred in the US, The above mentioned are considered as some of the deadliest terror attacks that have transpired. To begin with, the 1920 Wall Street bombing was a deadly attack that occurred at the financial district in New York City (Gage, 2009). The explosion led to the killing of more than thirty people and others died later after sustaining major wounds and injuries.
The fatalities of walls street bombing were mostly young individuals who performed various duties and assumed roles such as clerks, stenographers, and messengers. The explosion caused property damage worth millions of dollars and even damaged numerous interior spaces of buildings (Gage, 2009). After the explosion, the president of the New York Stock Exchange, William H. Remick made a decision to immediately issue orders of suspending trading so as to prevent further panic. On the other hand, the investigators concentrated on the radical individuals who were initially exhibiting opposition to the governmental institutions and financial institutions. The Wall Street Bombing renewed the efforts by the federal investigators and the policy to launch track and investigation into the perpetrators of the bombing (Gage, 2009). Due to Public demand to track the main perpetrators, there was an expanded role of the Bureau of Investigation. The department of police in New York advocated for the formation of a special branch of police to monitor the radical individuals in New York City. Most of the investigations gave emphasis on the communists and anarchists like the Galleanist who the investigators believed that they were the perpetrators. During President Warren Harding’s tenure, investigators maintained that the Soviets might have been the probable organizers of the bombing.
Oklahoma City bombing was a fatal attack in the United States that transpired in 1995 (Gephart, 2019). The attack was connected with a massive domestic bomb that was concealed and exploded causing many deaths and damaged properties such as the Alfred Murrah Federal Building. Approximately more than one hundred and sixty individuals were killed among including children. Whereas the initial suspicions had concentrated on the terrorist groups from the Middle East, the attention quickly focused on Timoth McVeigh who was previously apprehended after the explosion for a traffic contravention. Also, the investigators focused on interrogating Terry Nichols who was McVeigh’s friend. Both of them were former United States soldiers and were linked to militant patriot movement. After securing his release for a traffic contravention, McVeigh was charged and identified as a key suspect. Later on, Terry Nichols willingly surrendered himself to the police officers. As a consequence, McVeigh Was eventually found guilty of eleven counts of Conspiracy, use of a weapon of mass destruction, murder and in 2001 he was executed. Nichols, on the other hand, avoided the penalty of death and was convicted of eight counts of manslaughter and conspiracy and was sent to prison for life.
Although Terry Nichols and McVeigh were not connected directly with any predominant political organization, they held opinions characterized as that of the patriot movement. The Patriot movement was afraid of the totalitarian plots by the United States’ corporate elites and the United States federal government elites (Gephart, 2019). The patriotic Movement at its extreme denied the legality of law enforcement as well as the legitimacy of the federal government. After the Oklahoma attack, the law enforcement officers and the media launched intense investigations of armed groups, extremist groups, and the militia movement. Nonetheless, the Oklahoma City bombing is regarded as one of the deadliest terror attacks in the United States (Gephart, 2019).
The September 2001 attacks are one of the predominant attacks in the history of the United States as they were a series of suicide attacks and airline hijackings that were linked to al-Qaeda, an Islamic extremist group (Bergen, 2020). These attacks led to numerous deaths and destruction as a consequence, the attacks activated an enormous effort from the United States to combat terror attacks. The 2001 attacks in the United States were precipitated and prevalent because the leader of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden held biased and naïve opinions about the United States. Abu Walid al-Masri who was believed to be an associate of Osama Laden maintained that in the decades preceding to the September 2001 attacks, Osama was increasingly persuaded that the US was weak and was susceptible to attacks (Bergen, 2020). One of the main masterminds of the 2001attacks in America was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. With reference to a journalist known as Yosri Fouda, who had managed to interrogate Khalid Sheikh, disclosed that he had prearranged to blow up US planes in Asia mid-1990.
Furthermore, the 2001 attacks in America demonstrated that indeed terrorism was a global threat and that the terror group called al-Qaeda was a major terror group that was planning to carry out many more attacks (Bergen, 2020). The firefighters and the police officers who quickly rushed to the scene of the attacks were hit hard as the majority of them were killed. Osama bi Laden and Khalid Sheikh are considered as the foremost planners of the 2001 attacks. Specifically, Khalid Sheikh was regarded as the operational planer as he was the one who devised the tactical invention of hijacking airplanes so as to launch attacks against the united states of America. Similarly, the al-Qaeda group provided logistical support, money, and personnel who could successfully execute the operation. Hence, the 2001 attacks in the US had a lasting and profound effect on the US particularly in relation to its domestic and foreign policies (Bergen, 2020). Former President George Bush announced a global war against terrorism and the American government decided to implement measures aimed at curbing terrorism in the US.
Types of Terrorism
Domestic Terrorism
Domestic terrorism is a category of terrorism that occurs in a given country and is mainly perpetrated by the citizens of that country. Domestic terrorists in the United States, for instance, are not inspired by the Foreign Terrorist Organizations and have on many occasions caused many deaths in America compared to the Foreign Terrorist Organization. Hate crimes and domestic violence in the US at times overlap for the reason that perpetrators of major attacks in the US select their targets on the basis of various factors like gender identity, sexual orientation, race, national origin as well as ethnicity. Specifically, ethnic extremism and white supremacy and violent extremism are characterized as the contributory factors for domestic violence in the US. Lone terrorists, as opposed to terrorist organizations, frequently commit these kinds of terror acts. The white supremacist and violent extremists have always enacted a progressively intercontinental outlook in the modern era and are motivated by technological forces and aspects. The white supremacists and violent supremacists associate with like-minded persons using the different online platforms just the same way the ISIS connected and inspired possible and radical terrorists.
Another important motivating factor for domestic terrorism in the United States of America is anti-governmental violent extremism. This is one of the ideologies that have at all times been linked to numerous attacks and plots. Various categories of violent extremism include overlapping targets, tactics and motives. In the modern era, for example, supporters of certain violent extremist beliefs have from time to time abandoned them for different beliefs with comparable sets of supposed enemies. In particular, some violent extremists in the US may concurrently find inspiration and embrace numerous beliefs.
Jihadist extremism
Jihadist extremism in America is one of the most prevalent categories of terrorism and it predominantly entails compliance to a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam and violence promotion so as to accomplish certain goals (Bjelopera, 2013). In the Aftermath of the 2001 attacks against the United States, Islamic extremism turned out to be a prioritized safety concern of the American government as well as the predominant law enforcement organs. Originally, the US government gave emphasis on foreign terror groups such as al-Qaeda but over the years the emphasis has moved to Islamic extremism in America. Even though the number of American citizens who are actively part of jihadist extremism is small, extremism is still a key security concern in the US (Bjelopera, 2013). One of the biggest challenges in the United States is the number of Americans who decide to be key members of Islamic terror groups such as al-Qaeda. Notably, some of the American extremists are actively trained and recruited by foreign terror groups.
Numerous studies have disclosed that since 2007, more Americans have been apprehended and charged because of their active involvement in terror groups or attempts to join terrorist organizations such as and al-Qaeda. Americans who manage to join terror groups provide insider’s knowledge of America (Bjelopera, 2013). For instance, Adam Gadahn is an American citizen who successfully joined the al-Qaeda terror group in the 1990s and served as the media advisor, spokesman, and senior operative.
Modern technologies especially the internet can be utilized to convey terror messages. For instance, the increase of extremist messages and materials on various online platforms in the modern era has facilitated terrorism in the United States as the materials that are accessible online offer guidance on how to plan violent activities (Bjelopera, 2013). Hence, technological advancements such as the internet and social media are considered as the principal tool for terrorist groups to recruit and train new members as well as disseminating extremist propaganda in the US.
Cyberterrorism
Cyberterrorism entails the utilization of the internet and other social media platforms to carry out terror acts that mostly result in significant bodily harm and loss of many lives (Dawson, 2015). Nonetheless, terrorism is also an activity of internet terror whereby the terror organizations are involved in activities that essentially disrupt computer networks. There have been numerous instances of Cyberterrorism such as when terror organizations communicate with their supporters and encouraging the populace to join the terror groups. Correspondingly, Cyberterrorism has become more prevalent on the social medial platforms in the US (Dawson, 2015). As the internet turns out to be more pervasive in different areas of the US, terror groups and other individuals are now taking advantage of the anonymity that is accorded by the cyberspace and technology to instill fear by intimidating citizens and members of a particular ethnicity.
Dependence on modern technologies in the United States is rapidly increasing and this creates a platform for cyber terror plots to devise and execute direct intimidations (Dawson, 2015). Most of the Terror groups prefer cyber-based attacks as they can easily be carried out anonymously and remotely and they do not necessitate major investments in personnel, explosives, and weaponry. However, the effects can be profound and widespread as events of Cyberterrorism are likely to upsurge. For instance, Ardit Ferizi was one of the hackers who was charged by The Department of Justice. Ardit Ferizi was accused of hacking a website linked to the military and stealing personal details, addresses, and names of military personnel and government personnel and sold them to the ISIS. As a consequence, the United States has implemented stringent measures as well as legislations that are mainly aimed at imposing sanctions on entities and individuals who are suspected to be actively involved in cyber-related terror activities.
The different tactics of Terrorism
Tactics associated with terrorism are considered to be diverse as a majority of the terror organizations tend to utilize modern technologies and modern weaponry to launch attacks. , the most common tactics associated with terrorism and are used in many operations include shootings, suicide attacks, bombings, biological and chemical weapons, and hijackings. Globalization has eased access to the different chemicals that are utilized to create improvised explosive devices. These devices are deadly since they can be implanted in automobiles so as to construct a car bomb that may be placed in a strategic position near target vehicles.
On the other hand, suicide attacks are one of the common tactics employed by terrorists and terror organizations. Suicide terrorism is characterized as a destructive form of terror act as it entails coercion at the expense of even losing total support amongst the terrorists (Moghadam, 2008). What differentiates suicide attacks and suicide terrorism is that the terrorist does not anticipate surviving a mission of attack and utilizes a method of attacking that necessitates the terrorist’s death so as to succeed in a mission, for example, wearing a suicide vest planting a car bomb (Moghadam, 2008). In essence, the terrorist ends up killing himself. Normally, these tactics are employed for targeted assassination and demonstrative purposes. In most cases, these tactics target to assassinate a big number of individuals.
There has been an increased number of vehicle-based attacks whereby the terrorist organizations use motor vehicles and earthmovers to attack other vehicles or even run over innocent pedestrians. The use of vehicles as weaponries is easier to carry out and plan devoid of detection in comparison to suicide bomb attacks. This tactic does not necessitate procuring explosives since the key weapon is a street vehicle that is readily obtainable in the target country and can be employed devoid of raising any doubt. With reference to a report released by Stratfor global intelligence, the use of vehicles as terrorism tactic is nearly as efficient though it is not very damaging in comparison to suicide bombing. The United States ha in the past experienced deadly terrorist vehicle-based attacks, particularly in New York City.
Aircraft Hijacking can be described as the illegal seizure of aircraft by terrorists or other individuals with ill-motives. Most of the hijackings intend to use the crew or passengers as captives. The 2001 attacks in the United States were predominantly characterized by aircraft hijacking (Bergen, 2020). The al-Qaeda terror group managed to hijack four airliners: United Airlines Flight 93, American Airlines Flight 77, United Airlines Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11.
Furthermore, bioterrorism is also a tactic employed by terrorist and it encompasses a deliberate release of germs, bacteria, and viruses to cause death and ailments in plants, animals and human beings. This tactic poses a serious threat to the security of most nations as the bacteria can effortlessly be released through food, water, and air. Nonetheless, biological agents are hard to detect and notice because they do not cause ailments for numerous days and hours. One of the noticeable illustrations of bioterrorist attacks in the United States of America is the anthrax attacks that took place in September 2001(Walsh, Norwood & Hall, 2004). In particular, many letters comprising anthrax was successfully sent to United States congressional offices and media outlets. As a consequence, Some Americans passed away as a result of inhaling anthrax and contact with the contaminated mail. Although the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States were regarded as comparatively small scale, the American administration passed, endorsed and implemented initiatives and legislations aimed at improving the health system, protecting America from biological attacks as well as enhancing America’s capability to respond to biological attacks(Walsh, Norwood & Hall, 2004).
Prevention strategies
Radical Islamist terrorist groups continue to be the predominant international threat to the United States of America. Prominent terror organizations such as al-Qaeda and ISIS have frequently exhibited the capability and determination to launch attacks against the United States and they continue to plan other attacks (House, 2018). In particular, both the al-Qaeda and ISIS have continuously inspired individuals to carry out attacks within the United States. Hence, the United States has devised prevention strategies that are aimed at curbing terror acts. To begin with, the United States intends to collaborate with the private and public sectors so as to enhance sharing or essential information in relation to terrorist activities, transactions and terrorists’ financial data. These measures will enable the United States to deny terrorists the capability to raise funds as well as dismantling and disrupting terrorist support networks and dissuading individuals from offering material or financial support to terrorists.
In order to defeat the terror acts emanating from leading terror organizations, the United States intends to combat violent and extremist ideologies. The United States administration maintains that it will weaken the capability and prevalence of terrorist ideologies especially the radical Islamist terrorist ideologies (House, 2018). These ideologies comprise of elements that have a continuing appeal amongst their audiences as a consequence, the United States intends to destabilize terrorist recruitments and demonstrate that Islamist terrorist ideologies are false and destructive. Nevertheless, the United States has prioritized the establishment of a broader range of counterterrorism collaborations. Correspondingly, the interconnected world necessitates that the United States ought to embrace collaborations that will be instrumental in enhancing efforts that will certainly diminish terrorism. Therefore, the United States aims at partnering with organizations and administrations encompassing civil society, financial institutions, the technology sector, and allied countries. Specifically, the United States intends to make use of diplomatic engagement and mobilization of current coalitions and intercontinental forums to expand the networks of fighting terrorists and terror organizations (House, 2018).
The detention of terrorists will enable the United States to get rid of dangerous terrorists from the battlegrounds. Also, this will enhance America’s ability to collecting intelligence from the captured terrorists (House, 2018). On the other hand, targeting key terrorist groups and terrorists using America’s military capabilities will play a pivotal role in curbing terrorism and terror acts as well as the terror organizations that pose the greatest threat to the interests of the US and the American citizens. This will, however, include the targeting of operational planners, the terrorist masterminds and leaders and persons who deploy their proficiency in areas such as propaganda, explosives and cyber operations(House, 2018).
In Summary, it is worth noting that terrorism is one of the predominant challenges facing many countries across the globe. Notably, Terrorism continues to pose a predominant threat to security and peace of the United States of America as the terrorist landscape has turned out to be more complex. Unceasing terror activities in the United States have on many occasions contributed to deaths of innocent American citizens and destruction of properties .In addition to the devastating impacts associated with terror acts, terror activities aim at destabilizing administrations as well as undermining social and economic development. Several terrorist groups are now taking advantage of modern technologies to devise new methods of attacks so as to cause widespread deaths and to disseminate information aimed persuading citizens to join terror groups. Therefore, the United States government should enact more stringent measures and legislations that will enhance the ability to curb terrorism.
References
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