Week Three: Terrorist Targeting



Week Three: Terrorist Targeting

Introduction

The fact of terrorism is not new. It has existed since the beginning of the human civilization. There is no proper definition of the term but its dimensions are diverse and complex. There is a host of factors influencing the belief of terrorism. They are all inter, thus we cannot decide why people eventually engage in terrorism. Terrorism can be loosely defined as the use of illegal and unfair means to powerfully implement the principles at will.

Discussion

Suicide Bombings emerged as a strategy during the 20th century that was fuelled by the religious extremism and fundamentalism. Recent studies show that the focus of these activities is the number of people who are killed, rather than the number of attacks. Targeting innocent civilians have been more common in the recent times than it was ever before. These civilians are apparently random but are used to gain influence over the actual targets by increasing public fear, insecurity and anxiety (Henderson, 2004).

The developments in technology and communications also gave rise to a trend of “globalized” terrorism in which terrorism knows no boundaries in its propagation. A recent trend has been a use of biological weapons in the spread of terrorism in the world (Robert, 2003). The rise of Al-Qaida has transformed terrorism all around the world, creating many uncertainties. Al-Qaida was founded by Osam bin Ladin, and it acts as a global militant network that calls for a global Jihad. This particular organization had doubled the concerns and agony of governments as they seek to interfere in Al-Qaida's missions of massive killings, and other propaganda (Martin, 2007). A growing number of people in the developing countries are increasing against the newer US polices and want them to change those policies once and for all. In case, this ...