Terrorism and Counterterrorism

 HYPERLINK "http://topwriterlist.com/index.php?page=111&id=1470" TERRORISM AND COUNTER TERRORISM
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(14 October 2010)
Terrorism and Counterterrorism
1a. As described in "Defining Terrorism," what makes terrorism different from other activities like irregular warfare, insurgency, and crime?
Terrorism is defined as the use of force in order to course fear and commotion amongst the people living in a given region. This are were the person imposing this type of violence will create confusion and commotion amongst the people living in a region. This is subjected in order for the individual to achieve political, ideological or religious goal as the vice is directed towards the civilians (Ruby, 2002). With the non governmental institutions being the force behind this offence, in other occasion’s terrorism is defined as the use of unlawful indulgence of war and violence aimed at causing fear amongst the innocent civilians (Bajema, Et al. 2008).
While insurgency is a type of crime were groups of armed people rebel against an existing authority in order to take up and control the government or particular region that has natural resources that are of benefit or interests to the to the rebels in that particular region. While a guerilla warfare is were a group of armed people engage in war with the army of the in attempts aimed at forcing the other team to submit, or assimilate to their way of living it also is the rebels also practice there actions for causing destruction in a given region (Ruby, 2002).
Terrorism is different from the other crimes such as Insurgence, Crime and Warfare. This is because terrorism is classified as a different type of criminal act this is because the individuals who indulged in these actions have a key purpose of causing death, fear and destruction in a particular area. While this other mentioned crimes purpose is for the benefit of the people involved in the action as they want to control liberate or grab the existing recourses for themselves (Ruby, 2002).
2a. In a post-9/11 environment, al Qaeda has been forced to alter its targeting strategy away from spectacular or theatrical attacks because of three factors. What are they?
Al-Qaeda has managed to become one organization associated with the Muslims with an aim of fighting for the rights of the Muslims who happen to be the second largest religious community in the whole world. It is noted that the al-Qaeda is a movement that claims being responsible for 9/11 attacks in America, and with there association with this attacks security and thorough man hunt on the people suspected to be inclined to this organization (Emerson, 2005). This has then forced the organization to change its way of operations and strategies from the normal way they used to operate and carry out their activities (Investigative Project, (2010)). These changes advocate them for the Muslims to join jihad that would help them to attack the United States of America and Israel who are viewed as the major enemies of the Muslim religion and nations (Buncombe & Waraich, 2010).
Some factors that led to al-Qaeda to change its target strategy away from its normal strategies after the 9/11 included the following ideas; the Drone attacks on the suspects associated with this group, attacks on there territorial bases and the increased security police intelligence.
The main reason for the change of al-Qaeda strategy includes the increased Drone attacks by the Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI), department officers in killing any pre FBI person suspected to be linked with this illegal group. This has made the al-Qaeda to change their routine practices as they are being monitored by the criminal and US army.
The second factor that led to the change of strategies is the attacks on the hideouts of the al-Qaeda. This resulted them to change there tactics of doing their activities as they went to other regions such as Somalia, Yemen and Pakistan in order to disguise the US army officials that they aren’t present in Afghanistan (Bajema, Et al. 2008).
The other reason that led to the change of tactics was the increased intelligence of the Police and other law enforcers in the region that they want or plan to attack, this has caused al-Qaeda to improvise on its operations in order to ensure that they succeed in there plans on terrorizing people (Buncombe and Waraich, 2010).
3a. What does Howard consider to be indicators of success in combating today's terrorism?.
Terrorism is a vice that has been in existence from way back in the 19th century and it has been difficult to curb it from its adverse effects on the innocent civilians. There are several measures that are placed in order to reduce or stop the terrorists from attacking America. They include aspects like increased security and collaboration with the governments of the nations with terrorists to fight them and also bring change to the communities living around the region transform the negative perception towards America to a positive one (Sheehan, 2008).
Howard considers some aspects aimed at reducing terrorism and he sited situations like the collaboration of the United States army and the states army of the respective countries in fighting against the militant, but this was a negative approach of combating terrorism, (Sheehan, 2008). As the terrorists will feel that America is against them and as a result they will increase the number of attacks to America.
Some considerations’ according to Howard the key determinants of success towards curbing terrorism includes the united states government should invests more on the developing of the regions that are said to be the territorial bases of al-Qaeda. Other than deploying forces to terrorize innocent civilians in the regions in the pretence of tracking down the people associated with this movement, this will not only reduce the cases of attacks to the United States. This will increase the relationship that has been sore in the past this will also improve on the infrastructure such as schools, roads and hospitals in these regions thus improving the living standards of the less privileged in the society (Sheehan, 2008). This will taint America and the western world as friends of the Islam nations and then they will desist from terrorism.
4a. Arquilla, et al, state that "the direction in which terrorist Network evolves will depend upon the choices terrorists make as to the overall doctrinal paradigms that shape their goals and interests." What are the three paradigms they identify, and their implications for the use of WMD by terrorists?
We have to understand what Paradigm means, according to Arquilla Paradigm is seen as a world wide view of the world. This is are the basic areas that individuals from different regions will have to agree on a given idea thus it will provide the individuals the opportunity to agree on a given matter at hand without any cases of misunderstanding being reported. This kind of agreement will only be made possible if all the countries in the world come to an agreement about issues like politics (Arquilla, 2002). Statecrafts, alliances and weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons, therefore the countries should agree on what they are supposed to do and have in order to promote peace in the world and this is by reducing terrorism.
Some of the paradigms include the use of the Nuclear weapons, Political influences and Alliances; therefore the use of the nuclear weapons is seen as a way of the terrorists to project their functions (Bajema, Et al. 2008). Therefore, the individuals will use these as a way of spreading terror to the innocent civilians as they have new and advanced weapons.
Politics also plays a significant role in determining the rising networks and ideas of the terrorists. This is because a section or countries will be having a given motive that will be driving it to a specific location and this will result to the country to employ terror in order to conquer the region (Arquilla, 2002). There might be some other maters of interest that may result to invasion or interest in a given location.
Alliances may also be another cause of terror being experienced in a given place. Thus is due to the fact that the alliances that will result to the grouping of the countries in order to assume a given attitude towards the other groups this will automatically result to conflict amongst the countries.
5a. What does Weimann define as the eight different ways in which contemporary terrorists use the Internet?
The Lack of regulations and monitoring of the internet materials has resulted to the individuals who are inclined to terrorism acts to spread there messages aimed at attacking the civilians through the internet and other social sites. This is because the source of the message can’t be easily traced and at the same time the message will reach a lot of people who use the internet as a form of communication (Conway, 2006).
Ways in which the terrorists use the internet to spread terror include the following, psychological welfare and propaganda. These were the terrorist spread false information about an incoming attack in a given place this will elicit terror and confusion amongst the people in the region at the day reported on the internet. They also use the internet to recruit there members this is through the use of the internet. They use this method to send propaganda that will make the individuals hate certain countries and religions thus initiating the reader to join the group in attempts to fight against the dominant nations and Christianity.
They also use the internet to raise funds; this is because the individuals will use the internet to solicit funds from there readers. They use internet in data mining in that they hack into the data banks of other security organizations and then use the information to better there activities. They use internet in coordina...