States Terrorism: War on Terror

Divine Mugunga

Prof. Skirk

Global Terrorism

April 22, 2017

States Terrorism: War on Terror

            Terror does not have defining features but is merely a tactic that can be used by anyone to achieve a political goal, a terrorist is an individual who uses terror as a tactic, and finally terrorism is the use of that tactic (Tilly 2004 11-12). It is difficult to determine whether states can commit terrorist acts, because the international community has yet to established a universal definition for the term terrorism. Although there is not a single definition that is accepted by all, Tilly’s definition of terror, terrorist and terrorism works because it recognizes that every terrorist attack is unique. His definition focuses on the fact that terrorism is the use of terror as a strategy to achieve a political goal and thus whoever uses this tactic is a terrorist including state actors.

During the war on terror, the United States committed acts as means of counterterrorism. First, the National Security used complex analysis of electronic surveillance as the main method to locate targets for lethal drone strikes. This proved to be a very unreliable method because the agency used metadata analysis and cell phones to identify targets, and order strikes based on the activity and location of the cell phone that belong to the suspect. They were targeting phones and not actual people, which resulted in many deaths of innocent or unidentified people. Second, they torturing suspected (not yet proven guilty) people for information by a process of suffocation by water, which involves strapping the individual to a tilted board, with legs above their head, placing a cloth over their face, covering their nose and mouth. Water is then poured continuously over the cloth to prevent breathing, simulate drowning and induce panic. Third, they captured and transported suspects to other countries with less rigorous regulations for the humane treatment of prisoners.  Last but certainly not least, the presents of drones 24/7 alone terrorized the people, which gave rise to
psychological trauma among civilian
communities. They felt a constant worry
that a deadly strike may be fired at any
moment; they were powerless in protecting themselves.

Many people as we have seen in class do not believe that states can commit terrorist acts based on the states department definition of terrorism.  According to the state department, terrorism is politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience (class notes 1/19). This definition includes three criteria’s that differentiate terrorism from other forms of violent acts. The first component of this definition is that terrorism is politically motivated, which excludes any other form of violence that furthers ones criminal or personal goal such as kidnapping for ransom, bank robbery and so on. Second, the violent act has to be perpetrated against “noncombatants”, who are people that don’t serve in the military nor military member who are not active. Therefore terrorism would be attacking civilians or anyone who is not ready to defend against political violence.  Finally, the last key component is that subnational groups or clandestine agents commit terrorist attacks. Meaning that subnational groups and clandestine agents are the only ones capable of committing terrorist attacks.

If we exclude the fact that a state actor committed these acts, there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the war on terror could be considered terrorism. Many defend and justify the strategies used in the war on terror because of the intent and reason behind the war, which was to stop terrorist organizations. As we have seen through out the course of this class, terrorist such as anarchist, John Brown and many more had a noble cause for their terrorist acts, but it doesn’t make them any less of a terrorist. It is difficult for people to label those they consider to be noble, or in this case a state trying to fight against terrorism and protect it citizens, a terrorist. But what makes an individual, organization or a state, a terrorist is merely the fact that they inflict terror and use violence against civilians to gain a political goal. Since the US did both of these things during the war on terror then they are considered terrorist.

References:

·       Tilly, C. (2004). Terror, Terrorism, Terrorists. Sociological Theory, 22(1), 5-13. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3648955

·       Stanford/NYU Report, Exec Summary, p.v-x.

Scahill, Jeremy, and Glenn Greenwald. “The NSA’s Secret Role in the U.S.

·       Assassination Program.” https://firstlook.org/theintercept/article/2014/02/10/the-nsas-secret-role/