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Show -Terrorists want same things we do Methods make the ferroris by I. Ralph Telford Assistant Professor of Political Science ack in 1976 Dr. erick J. Hacker lished a book _ Fredpubtitled Crusaders, Criminals, Crazies: Terror and Terrorism in our Time. In the book, terrorists were roughly divided into three groups according main motivations. The emotionally disturbed to their (crazies) are driven by reasons of their own that often do not make sense to anybody | else. Criminal terrorists want nothing different from what other people want, but they are willing to use socially disapproved methods in order to achieve their goals. Crusading ter- rorists are idealistically inspired. They seek, not personal gain, but prestige and power for a collective goal; they | believe that they act in the service of a higher cause. terrorist, The typical crusading volunteer or carefully selected, appears normal, no matter how crazy his cause | | | | “,.we hold the seeds of terrorism in our own hearts: a father striking a son, parents fighting with each other, acts of violence committed with an eye toward furthering some future goal...” and how criminal the means he uses in the service of this cause may appear. groups to conduct assassinations, bom- against American bings, He is “...neither a dummy nor a fool, neither a coward or a weakling, but a professional, well trained, well tivities. Events repeatedly jority of them were judged as amateurish, probably written by emo- prepared, and well disciplined in the habit of blind obedience (Hacker, p. 9):: : The crimes committed by terrorists are not usually directed against the people they violate specifically, but tics, political extremists (crusaders} can attract world-wide attention to rather against the governments, institutions, laws, economic systems, etc., to which the victims belong. It is the human discovery that people can kidnappings and other ac- of 1985 demonstrate that by using terrorist tac- themselves and their causes. They con- tinue to arouse world-wide alarm and create international incidents that national governments are compelled to deal with. But what of the future? What are some of the developments we be influenced by intimidation. Random acts of violence committed with an eye can forcast? Here are some sampling predictions: 1.Terrorists are at a critical juncture. They have achieved just about all they toward furthering some distant goal: a can expect to achieve with the tactics goal they have no longer threatening and have ingness to deemed worth any price, any method, to achieve. During 1984, the total number of international terrorist incidents was up by some 30 percent over 1983. The total number of incidents which were lethal, or clearly intended to be lethal, used to date. Governments give in even to terrorists large numbers of hostages, demonstrated their willorder an assault whenever possible despite the risk to hostages. Hence, the risk of death to the terrorist increased by 50 percent. The number and percentage of less deadly incidents, has such Terrorists will alter their tactics or their targets. One direction might be toward exploiting modern society's as kidnappings and _ hostage seizures, was way down by 40 percent over 1983. increased substantially and their coercive capability has declined. persons (crazies) But a few caused of 176 Algerian passports. 4. Developments that contribute to political disaffection and create a pool civilian of people more sympathetic to political nuclear industry, the likelihood of increasing traffic in plutonium and violence include Three Mile Island, the disposal of nuclear or toxic chemical ‘enriched uranium, the spread of nuclear technology, all increase the opportunities for terrorists to engage in ‘some type of nuclear action. The primary attraction to terrorists in going nuclear is not necessarily the fact that nuclear weapons would wastes, or the effects of nuclear testing. The rapid growth of a enable terrorists to cause mass casualties, but rather the fact that almost any terrorist action associated with the words “atomic” or “nuclear” automatically generates fear in the mind of the public. A well publicized hoax could be as alarming as actual possession of a real weapon, provided people have no way of knowing that it is a hoax. While we cannot rule out the possibility of holding a city for ransom with a nuclear weapon, the assembly and detonation of a nuclear bomb appears to be the least likely terrorist threat. These events trigger in some groups a growing mistrust of government and corporations as incompetent, negligent, or worse — irresponsible, in protecting public health and safety. In sum, a lot of people frustrated, frightened and angry. are And we ought not to be too surprised if their sons and daughters express themselves Finally, mind that rorism in striking a each other, violently in the 1980's. we must always keep in we hold the seeds of terour own hearts: a father son, parents fighting with random acts of violence committed with an eye toward furthering some future goal, some goal we have deemed method. Terrorism worth will not any stop price, until any we change our hearts. Each one of us is a create We have also seen a number of ex- but not necessarily tortion plots involving threats to urban nation — genesis lives in our own offspring. We should address each other because water supplies — in Philadelphia — or use of chemical or biological respectfully, carefully — not clamoring like dogs. And maybe, just maybe, as substances in other ways. businessmen, and officials of their own greater casualties. 2. We can expect to see in the 1980's more extrordinary extortion plots in which large scale casualties, large scale destruction, or other actions designed to cause public alarm are threatened. Specifically, in the past five years there have been approximately 50 threats in- 3. An increase in airline hijackings. The Federal Aviation Administration issued in December 1985 a “hijacking alert” to all U.S. airlines flying in Europe and the Middle East. The alert our relationships with each other improve, so will nations respect the goals of each other and terrorism will recede to some hidden alcove in the collective mind of nations to be remembered with distaste and never repeated. At least, governments, ‘volving warns that a group of terrorists recent- we live in hope. it often combines drug criminals with political terrorists and guerrillas. The billionaire narcotics bosses of Latin America, hurting from the pressure applied to their drug smuggling into the United States, have begun to strike at U.S. officials and by hiring terrorist systems, the use of etc.) nuclear to com- disturbed attention. vulnerabilities greater disruption grids, seeking alarm. ly completed training in hijacking techniques at secret camps in Iran and adds that Algeria has reported the theft And for the first time a new threat — Narco-terrorism — surfaced in the statistics. It is doubly dangerous munication (power tionally cities. The vast ma- weapons |