DOMESTIC TERROR GROUPS

Domestic Terror Groups



Domestic Terror Groups

Introduction

Since September 11, 2001, considerable attention has been devoted to the study of terrorism, yet scholarly analysis of the subject has actually been active for several decades. With this increased focus, confusion has arisen as to the very meaning of terrorism. In addition, there are competing theories in regard to the causes and effects of terrorism, with contributions coming from economists, sociologists, psychologists, and political scientists. The study of terrorism is truly a multidisciplinary endeavor. This chapter provides a review of the debate regarding the definition of terrorism, presents historical examples of terrorism to provide context, and introduces the primary theoretical and empirical contributions of major scholars in the field. There have arisen a number of terror group movements that have made it difficult for the people to live in peace. (Rappa, 2009)

Terrorism Movements

The first usage of “terrorism” was in reference to the actions of a nation, not a subnational group. After the French Revolution in the late 18th century, the victors conducted a brutal campaign against nobles perceived to be enemies of the newly formed state. The series of mass executions by the postrevolutionary government was referred to as the terror. This early conceptualization differs from the more modern use of terrorism, in which the perpetrators are not usually governments and are instead nonstate actors. The usage of terrorism to refer to the violent actions of nonstarter actors arose in response to the bombings and assassinations conducted by radical members of political movements such as anarchism and revolutionary socialism in the late 1800s and early 1900s. During the 20th century, the use of the term expanded immensely, often to include any type of political violence that the observer found to be disagreeable. This is where the murkiness of terrorism's meaning arises. Politicians and the media are quick to label any enemy violence as terrorism. When any act of violence one disagrees with constitutes terrorism, the concept loses its meaning as it has become highly contextual and subjective. This is why we see certain acts of violence covered as terrorism by certain media outlets and as legitimate resistance by others. The atmosphere of confusion is not helped by the fact that, between governments and researchers, there are more than 100 different working definitions of terrorism. In addition to these observations, one can point out the relativistic nature of the term when he wrote that terrorism seems to mean simply whatever the “bad” guys are doing. This issue was echoed when one notes that the term had become more of a derogatory epithet than an adjective describing a unique phenomenon. (Velcic, 2004)

Rural Terror

The terror movement can have a number of considerable implications on the country. For example, drugs are often smuggled into the United States through rural border crossings, and some drugs, such as marijuana and methamphetamine, are manufactured in rural areas. Rural areas are also prime locations for terrorist attacks, including those from domestic antigovernment groups. Many of the 103 nuclear plants in the ...