Terrorism, Ideology, and Target Selection
Read the articles below regarding the relationship between ideology and target selection and answer the questions that follow.
Austin L. Wright, Terrorism, Ideology and Target Selection.
Max Abrahms, Matthew Ward, and Ryan Kennedy, Explaining Civilian Attacks: Terrorist Networks, Principal-Agent Problems, and Target Selection.
Instructions
Answer each of the following questions after you've read the listed articles. Each question will require a short essay response based on the reading material.
According to Abrahms, et al., process goals compete with outcome goals among principal and agent terrorist organizations. Explain a principal terrorist organization and an agent terrorist organization. Give examples. In your view, which type of terrorist organization wields the most power to achieve its goals? Why?
Abrahms, et al., frames the target selection of terrorists in terms of outcome versus process goals.
Which type of terrorist organization is most likely to focus on outcome goals? Why?
Which type of terrorist organization is most likely to focus on process goals? Why?
Explain the types of targets the focus of each of these goals is likely to choose. Why does each desired goal, outcome and process, select the target it does?
As explained by Wright, right-wing and left-wing terrorist groups generally focus on different groups as targets. What are the general differences Wright has found supported by the empirical data?
Another generalization suggested by the data, according to Wright, was how European governments have responded to terrorist attacks. What are the generalizations Wright has noted?
Is there normally a distinction between professed ideology of a group and that of the individual members? If so, why? If not, why not?
What are major classifications for terrorist ideologies? Please note and briefly define those classifications.
Wright presents a reasonable argument for the most opportunistic time for a government to confront a terrorist group. What is Wright's generalization?
According to Wright, what are the only consistent predictors of terrorist target selection? Provide illustrations that help explain this generalization.
Terrorism and Ideology
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Terrorism and Ideology
Terrorist organizations are motivated by various outcomes and process goals. In particular, process goals sustain a terrorist group by gaining media coverage, creating attention, and increasing membership via recruitment (Abrahms, Ward, & Kennedy, 2018). In contrast, outcome goals have stated political ends. In a principal terrorist organization, the leader delegates all the decisions to an agent. For example, al-Qaida. On the contrary, in an agent terrorist organization, agents exploit their discretions and engage in behaviors that do not align with their principal’s way of doing things. For instance, the Armed Islamic Group (GIA). In my view, a principal terrorist organization has a high likelihood of achieving its goals since there is a strict order. Besides, the leader communicates with his followers about what should be done and the time estimated to handle it.
The ideology of a terrorist organization significantly contributes to determining the target selection, which defines how a specific group perceives the world. For example, ethno-nationalist and religious groups are likely to target civilians since they see violence to be theologically imperative (Abrahms, Ward, & Kennedy, 2018). Agent terrorist organizations are more likely to focus on outcome goals. These groups have numerous agents who are more concerned about achieving the set goals. They do not emphasize process goals since they are renowned. Instead, agent terrorist organizations prioritize outcome goals to fulfill their agenda.
A principal terrorist organization is more likely to focus on process goals. Notably, leaders of such groups are interested in recruiting more individuals from different regions to carry out different duties. On that note, principal terrorist organizations use process goals to sustain themselves, gain media coverage, recruit more people, and attract more attention. Terrorist leaders believe that increasing group members enable their organizations to be feared, which is vital in fulfilling their agenda. Process goals are crucial to principal terrorist organizations since they increase their bargaining power. For instance, if a terrorist activity is linked with a particular group, nations fear it and are likely to be coerced to do things against their will.
The two primary types of attacks are the government and civilian. Terrorist organizations select their targets based on what they want to achieve. Notably, civilian attacks are good at meeting process goals. They might include attacks on properties, citizens, tourists, schools, religious institutions, and journalists (Abrahms, Ward, & Kennedy, 2018). On the contrary, government attacks might involve police officers, diplomatic, military, and government institutions. Terrorist groups scrutinize their targets so that they can be sure that they have sent a specific message. Some of them want to be renowned to not only recruit new members but also gain popularity globally.
Austin Wright asserts that left and right-wing terrorist groups usually focus on distinctive target groups. Specifically, right-wing groups are likely to target civilians, while left-wing terrorist organizations attack rival groups so that they can undermine their state of affairs. The empirical data shows that right-wing groups emphasize civilians, security officers, and rival terrorists. On the contrary, left-wing terrorist groups prioritize security personnel, civilians, and politicians. For example, the Red Army Faction and Red Brigade in Germany and Italy, respectively, target political leaders and government security ...