Terrorism And State Terrorism: Similarities & Differences

Terrorism and State Terrorism Name Institution Terrorism and State Terrorism Introduction Terror activities have widely impacted on the lives of individuals from various countries across the world. The effects of terrorism are usually adverse and lead to human suffering such as torture, rape, loss of families through deaths, and displacement of individuals from their settlement areas. Terrorist activities can be carried out by specific individuals or group of people who are interested in creating fear among the citizens of a particular nation. However, some states may get involved in terrorist activities against their own citizens as a sign forcing them to abide by their ruthless rules. In the case of terrorism, governments always take the initiative of countering the attacks and protecting properties and lives of the citizens. The protection is done by special security agencies that consist of various dockets of security as a whole. A good example of a country that has the security agencies is the US. The agencies are entitled to carrying out investigations on terrorism, as well as employing the relevant methods of combatting intended terrorist activities. Terrorism and State Terrorism have similarities and differences and can also be examined to determine how they are related to each other. Terrorism Terrorism involves creating fear among governments and their respective citizens through conducting some unlawful deeds such as abduction, rape, genocide, and massacre. The activities are carried out by some individuals or group of individuals who normally conceal their identity from the public. Terrorists usually try to instill fear in a government as a strategy of gaining political power so that they can be at a position of ruling that particular nation. Terrorism is distinguished from other modes of violence in a number of ways (Blakeley & Raphael, 2016). The possibility of distinction is due to some of the unique features of terrorism as an act. Considering the characteristics, terrorism is premeditated and conducted to create an extreme fear among humanity. The feature is accomplished through serious inhumanity carried out as a specific sign for how inhuman the terrorists are. On the other hand, terrorism is geared towards a wider target of individuals who eventually befall the victims of the evil acts. The attacks are usually random and impromptu and involve mass killing of civilians, characterized by massive destruction of property. Besides, terrorists target specific symbolic areas where they are sure of finding a large population of individuals. Even though terrorism activities are considered extra-normal by the society in which it occurs, the terror groups are still determined towards influencing the political behavior of governments, communities, and some distinct social groups. Criminal acts, specifically terrorism, have been heightened by the technological advancements in the world. The technologies, especially in the communication sector, have resulted in globalization that has in turn promoted rapid and efficient communication among terrorist groups (Combs, 2017). Terrorists can easily plan the terror activities and plan a successful exit strategy due to the availability of efficient communication provided by the information technology. Terrorism has extreme effects such as serious damage of property, endangering people's lives, creating risks to the health and safety of the public, and interference of various systems in a country, such as electric and health systems. Fortunately, the effects can be subdued by governments through following the recommended procedures of countering the attacks. During countering of any terrorist attack, the government officials involved should ensure no interruption of state's activities such as trade. The operations of combatting the activities should also aim at a minimum number of casualties. State Terrorism Some governments may decide to carry out terror activities to their own citizens as a matter of creating fear in them so that the citizens can submit to the government’s ruthless rules. State terrorism is manifested in various ways depending on the interests of the state terrorists. A government of a particular state may impose certain rules that are meant to subdue the rights and the freedom of citizens. The citizens are in turn threatened against resisting the rules, and they end up in jails or being beaten and tortured by the government. The form of state terrorism is common in countries practicing a dictatorial form of leadership. Governments in these nations fail to uphold the constitutional rights of the citizens, and they concentrate on their personal interests. State-sponsored terrorism is usually caused by ideological differences among political leaders in a country. Some leaders may intend to carry out an insurgency that might result in terror among the civilians. The coup is usually designed to eliminate every supporter of the ruling party and involves the use of militia to take control of the country. On the other hand, a state terrorism can also be conducted by a particular country against foreign targets. According to various analysis, major terrorist groups such as ISIS get their financial aid from most of the Islamic countries. Such support proves the terror groups as state-owned terrorists since; they can follow commands from the specific countries offering the financial assistance. Besides, government officials who try to implement certain policies that are against the will of the citizens may apply forceful methods to ensure the citizens agree with the policies. The act of forcing the citizens necessitates an automatic use of excessive force by the government against its citizens. The forceful handling of the civilians results in various inhuman activities such destruction of properties, the killing of the civilians, severe injuries, and displacement of individuals from their homes. The effects are similar to those caused by normal terrorists; hence, the state is considered a terrorist. Similarities between Terrorism and State Terrorism Bo...