Terrorism
Terrorism is defined as an act of political violence undertaken by groups formed to fight for the independence of certain groups of people or to subvert governance structures. Terrorist groups target civilians deliberately and indiscriminately with violence (Schmid, 2023). Unlike extremist lobby groups that use conventional and targeted ways to advance their objectives, terrorist groups instill psychological trauma in non-combatants. Al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attack in the US is one such example of acts of terrorism.
Counter-Terrorism Policies
Goldstein and Pevehouse (2017) describe different counter-terrorism policies governments may leverage to avert the emergence of terrorist groups and counter existing ones. From a non-violent end are calls to foster economic development. Proponents of this counter-terrorism policy aver that people become vulnerable to being recruited to terrorist groups due to poverty. With no opportunities to advance economically, people lose hope, become angry, and engage in irrational acts.
Although there is no evidence to correlate poverty directly with terrorist activities, it is clear that terrorist groups emanate from poor countries with weak central governments. Although the terrorists eventually target Western countries and other high-income states, their members are from low-income states. For instance, most of the terrorists who attacked the US in the 9/11 attack came from Afghanistan and other unstable governments in the Middle East. Economic development creates opportunities for people, especially the youth; hence, there is no motivation to be recruited into high-risk terrorism.
Another counter-terrorism policy is to strengthen local policing. This intervention involves police collaborating with forces like the military and other security organs to apprehend or kill terrorist leaders (Goldstein & Pevehouse, 2017). For instance, Peru’s government deployed specialized investigators who eventually arrested the leader of the Shining Path Movement. Following the arrest, the group largely collapsed.
In the same breath, community policing can also play a crucial role in alleviating terrorism. Community policing involves the police collaborating with community members and the police, and it revolves around information and resource sharing. This collaboration allows the police to leverage all partners to prevent terrorism and extremist ideologies from spreading.
For instance, the police may collaborate with schools to counter terrorism and violent extremism by encouraging learners to embrace morality and, as a result, put a quick end to terrorism. Also, members of the community may provide crucial intelligence about suspicious elements to the police, who can then investigate and take necessary action.
Thirdly, states may undertake small- or large-scale military operations to counter terrorists. This method is mostly employed when a terrorist group operates from a foreign land (Goldstein & Pevehouse, 2017). For instance, Israel’s attack on the Hamas terrorist group is one such example where large-scale military intervention has been undertaken. Another example of a military response to terrorism is when the US undertook sustained attacks in Afghanistan as a response to the 9/11 attacks.
However, it is worth noting that military operations can be catastrophic and lead to unnecessary loss of lives and destruction if security forces act on inaccurate intelligence information. For instance, the US attacked a child formula manufacturing plant in Sudan, thinking they were attacking a plant used to manufacture chemical weapons.
Among the three counter-terrorism policies, local policing is the most effective. This is because the method involves an element of investigation that will determine the underlying motivations for undertaking terrorist activities. Besides, arresting or killing terrorist leaders is likely to end terrorist groups due to the disruption of their structures.
References
Goldstein, J. S., & Pevehouse, J. C. (2017). International relations (7th ed.). Pearson.
Schmid, A. (2023). Defining terrorism. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT). https://icct.nl/sites/default/files/2023-03/Schmidt%20-%20Defining%20Terrorism_1.pdf
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Question 
Question:
- Using content from the textbook and PowerPoint Presentation, develop a definition of terrorism (75-word limit) that would allow scholars to differentiate between extremist (e.g., Liberty Lobby) and terrorist (e.g., Ku Klux Klan) groups.
- Explain the three possible counter-terrorism policies discussed by the authors and explained by the instructor in the PowerPoint presentation. In your opinion, which approach offers the most potential for success if the target is a religious terrorist group? Why?
Terrorism
- Please read the question and watch the video to write the paper. used the class textbook.- person etext for international relations, brief edition,8e.