The War on Terror is Terrorism

Andrew Gillis

Blog Post

4/23/17

            When examining the US War on Terror, it is not usually talked about in a positive way. The plan and the tactics factor into a seemingly negative view by the public. But what might perhaps be a larger conflict amongst opinions is whether the US War on Terror should be considered terrorism. Even though the US is a state, the War on Terror is in fact terrorism and should be viewed that way because of the use of drones and torture.

            One of the largest reasons for why the War on Terror should be considered terrorism is because of the use of drones. The use of drones has several aspects that would make it a tool of terrorism. First, it strikes fear not only into the target but also civilian populations because a strike could happen at any moment. There is no warning for when a drone strike will occur, so people live in fear that one could happen at any time. They might see a drone flying over, and it might only be for surveillance, but they will be thrown into panic because they might fear that they could be attacked from it. Second, the target is not always someone who has committed a terrorist attack because it might be a preemptive strike. Signature strikes, which are typically broad, kill individuals based on patterns in behavior that might be consistent with terror activity. So essentially, they target individuals that may or may not be directly involved in the activity but because they might be they are targeted by these strikes. This is like terrorists because they often attack people who are not directly responsible or involved with what they are directing their attacks at. This brings up the final aspect of why the use of drones in the War on Terror is terrorism because of the “precision” of the strikes which often have collateral damage. When it comes to civilian casualties regarding the drone strikes, the numbers are highly debated. The administration that does the strikes often comes out with an extremely low count, and changes the definition of a civilian / noncombatant. However, organizations such as the Bureau of Investigative Journalism claim that the count is much higher than reported. Without getting into which count is correct, at a minimum there are more civilian casualties than there should be. Part of terrorism is that there are civilian casualties, and if that is going to be an indicator of terrorism the use of drones should fall under that category.

            Another example of how the War on Terror can be considered terrorism is the use of torture as a tactic. Torture was used to get information out of terrorists or individuals who were suspected to be terrorists. There were individuals who were trying to legally justify the use of torture but using techniques that were in a legal grey area, and by debating whether the Geneva Convention should be followed. These tactics are basically over kill, and studies have shown that torture techniques are not as effective as some believe. Torture created a sense of fear that if you were arrested or taken into custody by Americans you would be tortured even if you were innocent. Torture contributed to an atmosphere of fear that the War on Terror created.

            Simply put, the War on Terror should be considered terrorism even though it was conducted by a state actor. Regardless of who commits the act, if they are terroristic thee actor should be considered a terrorist or their actions terroristic. Drone strikes are terroristic because they strike fear into people and drone strikes also have civilian casualties. Torture is also a tactic that can be considered terroristic because of the nature of it and again how it strikes fear into people. If these acts are considered without knowing the actor, the acts and actor would most likely both be considered terrorism / terrorists. However, because the War on Terror is being conducted by the US and its allies, people do not want to label it terrorism, even though it is.

The U.S. War on Terror Inflicts Terror, but isn’t Terrorism

Stephen Agnatovech

4/20/17

Prof. Shirk

POL 357

The U.S. War on Terror Inflicts Terror, but isn’t Terrorism

It is difficult to grasp whether the United States in the “War on Terror” commits acts of terrorism. The tactics the United States uses to fight against terror is terror itself, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the United States is committing acts of terrorism. If you take out the context of the situation between the United States and the Middle East the United States actions look like terrorism, but as we had talked about in class can a state truly commit terrorism? I would have to say in this specific case that the United States isn’t committing terrorism because it is looking in the best interest of the American people. Protecting American citizens is the United States mission, and as long as it continues to keep the American people safe to the best of its ability, the United States actions can be justified. Putting this aside, drone strikes have proven to be ineffective, and although the United States isn’t committing terrorism, drones strikes in particular strike terror into innocent civilians. Other tactics the United States uses in the War on Terror also inflict fear such as using torture to retain information, and rendition as well as black sites. Although the United States is a state that cannot commit terrorism, they certainly use tactics that are intended to inflict fear, and terror in the people they’re targeting.

The portrayal of drones used by the United States is that they are precise, effective, and allow us to target enemies we never could’ve before. Drones also allow the United States to target enemies from the air rather than putting our own troops on the ground. These are all positive tactics, and help save American lives, but drones have been proven to be ineffective and to do more harm than good. The United States counts combatants as any male that is 18 or older which shows an inaccurate representation of civilians killed by drone strikes because not every male 18 or older is a terrorist. With this inaccurate representation still, “From June 2004 through mid-September 2012, available data indicate that drone strikes killed 2,562-3,325 people in Pakistan, of whom 474-881 were civilians, including 176 children” (Living Under Drones). This shows that there a number of innocent civilians targeted by drones. The consistent presence of drones instills fear into innocent civilians as well. “Drones hover twenty-four hours a day over communities in northwest Pakistan, striking homes, vehicles, and public spaces without warning, their presence terrorizes men, women, and children, giving rise to anxiety and psychological trauma among civilian communities” (Living Under Drones). This shows that even though the United States is a state that doesn’t commit terrorism, it still inflicts fear and terror into innocent civilians even though it is not the United States’ intent.

The use of torture, rendition, and black sites are also tactics that strike terror into sometimes innocent civilians. These tactics can be useful in order to retain information that can help keep the American people safe. It is important to realize that justifying the use of torture of terror suspects is important to help keep innocent people safe whether they’re United States citizens or not as long as it is a tactic used to possess information. If you’re an accused terrorist rendition can also be a successful tactic in pulling them away from a crowd or area which can result in saving lives. If people witness the capturing of an accused terrorist and watch them disappear it could immediately inflict terror. Hopefully if people witness this it would help in deterring them away from committing an act of terrorism, or associating themselves with any terrorist or terrorist organization. These actions taken out by the United States government are not acts of terrorism, even if they’re intended to inflict fear and terror into innocent civilians.

Works Cited

International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic at Stanford Law School and Global Justice Clinic at NYU School of Law, Living Under Drones: Death, Injury, and Trauma to Civilians From Us Drone Practices in Pakistan. (2012).

Role of Religion in Terrorist Organization of Hamas and the Ismailis Sects of Assassins

Divine Mugunga

Global Terrorism

Prof. Shirk

March 24, 2017

Role of Religion in Terrorist Organization of Hamas and the Ismailis Sects of Assassins

For two centuries the Assassins of the middle ages played a frightening role in the Muslim world in their attempt to convert and take over the territory in the heart of the Alborz Mountains of northern Persia. In order to accomplish this goal the assassins sought to gain the support of those who resided in that area, and by slowly eliminating any and all enemies through strategic methods of assassinations. Because the methods of the Assassins were so effective, modern Islamic terrorist groups such as Hamas have adopted them and use them to gain their political goals.

            The most infamous instances of modern terrorism like Hamas have religious motives to a certain extent, notwithstanding their political goals. Although this may seem like a new phenomenon, religiously motivated terrorism dates back to the 11^th century with the Ismailis sect of Assassins. Both the Assassins and Hamas were founded on religious (Islam) beliefs. Like most of the monotheistic religions, Islam includes those who accept their principles and exclude those who do not. Their beliefs define and organize all aspects of society to which their members belong. The Assassins and Hamas used religion, in this case Islam, to gain the support of from Muslims to then extend their influence through political power.

Another similarity between the Assassins and Hamas include the use of suicide volunteers a strategic method to kill their enemies and accomplish their political goals. Suicide missions in the Muslim world cannot be separated from religion. Those who execute suicide-bombing missions believe Jihad is synonymous to war and it requires Muslims to strike and not only at non-Muslims but also other Muslims who are deemed insufficiently loyal to their radical cause. Chapter 9:123 of the Qur’an states, "Fight the unbelievers who are near to you, and let them find ruthlessness in you." Since Muslims find shirk to be the worst kind of disbelief, groups such as Hamas and the Assassins don’t run out of volunteers for suicide missions because those who volunteer think they are serving a purpose greater then their need to exist.

Although there are many similarities between the Ismailis Assassins and Hamas, there are differences as well. The most important aspect of the Assassins that distinguishes them from modern terrorist groups such as Hamas is the targets of their violence. The Assassins were very specific with their targets, they were mostly political leaders and religious figureheads. Hamas on the other hand practices indiscriminate violence and starts conflict in order to provoke the Israelis to retaliate harshly, which gets them closer to accomplishing their goal.

            Today if you ask an individual to describe terrorism, they will either mention an Islamic extremist group, or the religion of Islam. A vast majority of Americans have a distinct stereotype in mind of what a terrorist is, this description often entails someone of Arab decent. One of the reasons for this is that the media plays a significant role in portray Islamic extremist groups as the only Terrorist groups. The other reason for Muslim groups being the face of terrorism is because the groups like Hamas and The Assassins use their religion to justify their use of violence to achieve a political goal.

Reference

·      Chaliand, G. (2010). The history of terrorism: from antiquity to al Qaeda. Berkeley, Calif.

·      Gary , J. M. (n.d.). Holy Terror: The Rise of the Order of Assassins. History Net. Retrieved March 1, 2017, from http://www.historynet.com/holy-terror-the-rise-of-the-order-of-assassins.htm

·       Bukay, D. (2006). The Religious Foundations of Suicide Bombings Islamist Ideology. Middle East Forum. Retrieved March 24, 2017, from http://www.meforum.org/1003/the-religious-foundations-of-suicide-bombings#_ftn15