Terrorism they are violent acts committed by individuals or groups in order to cause fear and material damage to a State or a population.
The term arose during the French Revolution, in order to designate the most radical factions of the revolutionary process, between 1793-1794.
This definition would come back after World War II, to name separatist or leftist groups that used violence to claim their emancipation rights.
World Terrorism
The definition of a terrorist act depends on each country, as there is no consensus in International Law about what terrorism is.
The Encyclopedia Britannica establishes it as:
Systematic use of violence to create a generalized climate of fear in a population and thus achieve a certain political objective. Terrorism has been practiced by political organizations on both the right and the left, by nationalists and religious groups, and by state institutions such as the armed forces and police.
Despite the lack of consensus, some elements seem to be common in terrorist acts of the 20th and 21st century.
The first is that it is carried out by people with low tolerance for individuals who do not agree with a certain ideology.
Likewise, terrorism seeks to cause spectacular and attention-grabbing violent acts. Therefore, the chosen target must cause a large number of victims or be in a place that will yield hours of television programs and reports.
The United States follows the Bush doctrine to define which acts are classified as terrorists.
Terrorist Attacks
The September 11, 2001, attack in New York City against the Twin Towers and the Pentagon was considered a milestone for defining terrorism as we currently understand it.
Likewise, we can cite the attacks:
- March 11, 2004 (Madrid): Almost simultaneous explosions occurred in some train stations in the Spanish capital. About 190 people died and 2000 were injured.
- September 1, 2004 (Russia): this attack took place in the Beslan city and became known as the "Beslan Massacre". About 1200 hostages were held inside a school for three days. About 330 people died, including adults and children.
- July 7, 2005 (London): explosions took place in various parts of the city, in subway stations. About 50 people died and 700 were injured.
- March 29, 2010 (Moscow): 39 dead and nearly 40 injured was the balance of explosions in Moscow, Russia, by Chechen terrorists.
- November 13, 2015 (Paris): in various parts of the French capital, such as the Bataclan concert hall or near the Stade de France, there were explosions and shootings at civilians. 137 people died and more than 400 were injured.
- August 17, 2017 (Barcelona): a van ran over several pedestrians in the city of Barcelona. Likewise, in the cities of Alcanar and Cambrils there were explosions. This attack left 16 people dead and more than a hundred injured.
- April 21, 2019 (Sri Lanka): on Easter Sunday there were several explosions provoked by suicide attacks on Christians in particular and tourists in general. It was one of the bloodiest attacks in history with 258 dead and nearly 500 injured.
Current Terrorist Groups
The main terrorist groups in the world are:
1. al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda emerged in the Middle East and is a group of Islamic fundamentalists who command part of the terrorist attacks around the world. Osama bin Laden was one of the leaders.
2. Islamic state
The Islamic State appears with the intention of forming an independent Islamic nation and acts mainly in the Syrian War, besides being responsible for several terrorist attacks in the world.
3. Boko Haram
Boko Haram which means “non-Islamic education is a sin” is a terrorist group that operates mainly in Nigeria. Your goal is to create an Islamic republic in this country using means such as kidnappings and deadly attacks on enemies.
former terrorist groups
There are groups that ceased their activities in the 21st century, but caused panic in humanity's recent past.
1. ETA (Basque Homeland and Liberty)
ETA is a Basque separatist group that has its origins in the Spanish Basque Country. This terrorist group fought through violence for the territorial independence of France and Spain.
2. IRA (Irish Republican Army)
Catholic paramilitary group that, since the 1960s, began to act for the departure of British forces from the territory of Ireland, that is, the separation of Ireland and the United Kingdom. It ended its activities in 2005.
Types of Terrorism
Despite being characterized by violent actions, it is possible to differentiate some types of terrorism.
Indiscriminate Terrorism
The name itself already indicates that there is no specific target. The main characteristic is the indiscriminate attack on the lives of the civilian population.
One of the ways is to deposit bombs in garbage cans, cafes, cinemas, subways and other public places, in order to draw the government's attention and spread fear among the population.
This type of terrorism can be practiced in times of peace as well as in war. During the Algerian War, Algerians used this method against the French.
selective terrorism
In this case, there is a specific target and their actions are mainly based on blackmail, torture, psychological terror, among others.
A notorious example of this type of terrorism is the American Protestant and racist group Ku Klux Klan (KKK), founded in 1865.
Its targets were mainly the black population of the United States and, to a lesser extent, Jews and whites fighting for the civil rights of these minorities.
state terrorism
Dictatorships, under the pretext of imposing order, practice human rights violations against political groups that do not fall under the laws of the State of exception.
In this way, they suspend constitutional guarantees and cover up the violence practiced by the police forces.
As an example, we have the State terrorism in the time of Nazi Germany or the actions of the British State against demonstrations carried out by the Irish, such as Bloody Sunday.
communal terrorism
Also called Community Terrorism, it is characterized by demonstrations and attacks aimed at controlling and weakening the productive capacity of the community.
In this way, targets such as cisterns, pastures, cattle, the right to come and go and everything that serves to sustain economic life for a population are achieved.
A clear example is the regions that are controlled by drug traffickers, who start to dictate the rules of coexistence for that population.
Terrorism in Brazil
Due to international events such as the World Cup (2014) and the Olympics (2016), Brazil has become a potential target for terrorism.
The Federal Police has monitored certain Islamic groups and individuals who write messages extolling terrorist acts or groups.
In October 2018, there was data that three Brazilians had joined the Islamic State, in Syria.
Keep getting informed with these texts.:- What is dictatorship?
- Civil war
- Terror in the French Revolution
