Global Fact Sheets 2005 1AHR/2005

Terrorism
Definition: Term with no agreement amongst government or academic analysts, but almost invariably used in a
pejorative sense, most frequently to describe life-threatening actions prepetrated by politically motivated self-
appointed sub-state groups. But if such actions are carried out on behalf of a widely approved cause, then the
term 'terrorism' is avoided and something more friendly is substituted. In short, one person's terrorist is another
person's freedom fighter.

OR Also

The calculated use of unlawful violence to inculcate fear, intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or
societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.

Causes of Terrorism:
• Political
- based on the ‘fight’ for freedom, liberty, justice, revenge, resistance or self defense
- The military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New People’s Army is a Maoist
group formed in March 1969 with the aim of overthrowing the Government through protracted guerrilla
warfare.
- The Armenian Secret Army was a Marxist-Leninist Armenian terrorist group formed in 1975 with stated
intention to compel the Turkish Government to acknowledge publicly its alleged responsibility for the
deaths of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915, pay reparations, and cede territory for an Armenian homeland.
Led by Hagop Hagopian until he was assassinated in Athens in April 1988.
• poverty/economic
- More common in developing countries, where there is rapid modernization, than in just poor or rich
ones, as economic change creates conditions that are conducive for instability, the emergence of
militant movements and extremist ideologies
• religious
- Al-Qaeda – Osama bin Laden fuelled by Quran, believed that the West and Communists who invaded
the Islamic states were stealing their wealth and attacking their religion. He thinks he has Allah on his
side, and has used the Quran to justify his actions
• Ethnic
- Holocaust – Hitler’s genocidal aims to ‘cleanse’ the Russian population of the Jews.
- Sikh terrorism is sponsored by expatriate and Indian Sikh groups who want to carve out an
independent Sikh state called Khalistan (Land of the Pure) from Indian territory. Active groups include
Babbar Khalsa, International Sikh Youth Federation, Dal Khalsa, Bhinderanwala Tiger Force, and the
Saheed Khalsa Force
• Terrorism to form a separate state for their own national group
- Draw attention to a fight for “national liberation”
- Successful at winning international sympathy and concessions
- Many groups accused insist they are not terrorist but freedom fighters
- Example : The IRA. The IRA is an organization dedicated to ending the British rule in Northen Ireland
and unifying the province with the Republic of Ireland.

• Terrorism as a Tool
- State-sponsored terrorist groups are deliberately used by radical states as foreign policy tools.
- With enhanced resources at their disposal, such terrorist are more capable of carrying out more
deadly attacks than other terrorists.
- Example : The Abu Nidal Organization. Named for its leader, a veteran Palestinian terrorist, is
an international terrorist group that has been sponsored by Syria, Libya, and Iraq and has attacked a
wide range of Western, Israeli and Arab targets

• Terrorism stemming from anti-Capitalism

Property of Anglo-Chinese Junior College 81

Do Not use without permission
Global Fact Sheets 2005 1AHR/2005

- Left-wing terrorist are out to destroy capitalism and replace it with a communist or socialist
regime
- Limited use of violence to avoid hurting victims they say they want to save
- Focus on tactics like kidnapping tycoons or bombing monuments
- Example : The weathermen, also known as the Weather Underground Organization. It was a
US-based self described “revolutionary organization of communist women and men”.

Tactics of Terrorism
- Demoralizing and paralyzing of enemy with fear
- Blackmail to apply pressure on governments
- Terrorism relies heavily on surprise
- Frequently after an attack a number of unassociated groups may claim responsibility to gain
“free publicity”
- Terrorism’s perpetrators may shelter behind a section of local population, which may be
sympathetic to their cause, indifferent, or under duress. \
- In absence of state funding, terrorists often rely on organized crime to fund their activities

Methods of Counter Terrorism

- Detainee Policies
- Combating Terrorism Financing - Private sources of financial and logistical support for terrorists must be
subjected to the full force and sweep of U.S. and international laws. As well as supporting international anti-
terrorism efforts generally, Australia has signed Memorandums of Understanding with several Southeast
Asian countries. The most recent agreement with Thailand builds on the existing strong links between
Australian and Thai law enforcement, defence and security agencies. Under the MOU, Australian and Thai
agencies will exchange information and intelligence on international terrorist activities and related
transnational organised crime. Agencies will also focus on combating the financing of terrorism and
countering money laundering.
- Military Force
- Security Council Imposes sanctions on Afghanistan for harboring Osama bin Ladin
- preparation of a manual to guide the implementation of existing legal authority in the event of a catastrophic
terrorist threat or attack.
- Congress should make it illegal for anyone not properly certified to possess certain critical pathogens and
should enact laws to control the transfer of equipment critical to the development or use of biological
agents.
- Obtaining information about the identity, goals, plans, and vulnerabilities of terrorists is extremely difficult.
Yet, no other single policy effort is more important for preventing, preempting, and responding to attacks.
Germany is working with the international community through the United Nations, NATO, the G-8, and the
European Union to coordinate anti-terrorism efforts across boarders.
- Promote the Flow of Terrorism Information From Law Enforcement to Policymakers and Analysts
- Diplomacy is an important instrument, both in gaining the assistance of other nations in particular cases
and convincing the international community to condemn and outlaw egregious terrorist practices. Japan’s
diplomatic efforts have been stepped up to strengthen international solidarity towards the prevention and
eradication of terrorism
- reduce terrorists' freedom of movement by encouraging countries to stop admitting and tolerating the
presence of terrorists within their borders. Nations should bar terrorist groups from activities such as
training, recruiting, raising funds, or hiding behind political asylum. Pakistan recently started to ban
fundamentalist Islamist groups for operating freely in the country due to international pressure and
diplomacy.
- Since the attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001, efforts have increased to coordinate regional
and international action against terrorism in Southeast Asia. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) announced increased cooperation at its annual ministerial meetings in July-August 2002. During
these meetings, the United States also signed an anti-terrorism agreement with ASEAN members on 30
July.

Property of Anglo-Chinese Junior College 82

Do Not use without permission
Global Fact Sheets 2005 1AHR/2005

- Terrorism in Southeast Asia is being pursued in an environment in which locally-derived issues factors
have contributed to the basis of support for the groups involved. Increased efforts are needed to pursue
law-enforcement measures in regional states – a task which is likely to be especially difficult in the case of
Indonesia. However, further attention will also be needed to alleviate the social and economic disadvantage
which has fuelled radical groups, especially in certain regions such as the southern Philippines.

Limitations of Measures

- Mistakenly lumping Islamic groups and terrorism together in the same analytical basket can lead to critical
errors. Regional security specialists routinely include such groups as the Mujahidin Council of Indonesia,
Laskar Jihad, Laskar Jundullah, Aceh Freedom Movement, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Pattani
United Liberation Organization (both PULO and New Pulo) and a host of other organizations, in their lists of
regional terrorist groups. So dense and intricately connected is this network of terrorist groups that
Southeast Asia reportedly has now become the epicentre of terrorism globally.
- For example, the MILF, far from being an al Qa’ida affiliate, has agreed to a ceasefire and negotiations with
the Philippine government. The MILF has refrained from criticising US-Filipino military cooperation aimed
against the Abu Sayyaf Group. This entire approach is anathema to all that Osama bin Laden and al Qa’ida
stand for. This is the main reason why the MILF is not considered a terrorist group by either the Philippine
government or the international community. Yet international and regional terrorism experts consistently list
the MILF among regional terrorist groups.
- Al Qa’ida regional network has been broken up and disrupted as a consequence of the global war on
terrorism. JI cells have been eliminated in Singapore and Malaysia. Several long planned operations have
been disrupted as a result of police action. The round-up of terrorist suspects in Indonesia after Bali has
also degraded JI’s operational capabilities in that country. Approximately 180 suspected JI members
across Southeast Asia have been arrested or detained. Despite this generally upbeat assessment, the
threat of political terrorism remains. The US government estimates that 500 JI members are still active
throughout the region and they retain the motivation and capacity to continue their terrorist activities.
- Given the proliferation of terrorist networks within Southeast Asia, and the several terrorist attacks such as
the Bali bombings, many foreign government organizations such as the British foreign and commonwealth
office has issued travel advisories for popular tourist hotspots such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
This adverse effect on the tourism industry has forced governments to take action against these groups.

Case Studies

• Separatist Terrorism
Terrorist Group:
IRA (Irish Republican army)
Country(s) of Operation:
Northern Ireland, Irish Republic, Great Britain, Europe
Background:
Northern Ireland came into existence with the British Government of Ireland Act (1920) which
divided Ireland into two areas: the Irish Free State made up of the 26 southern counties, and
Northern Ireland. Formed in 1969 as the clandestine armed wing of the political movement Sinn
Fein1, the IRA is devoted both to removing British forces from Northern Ireland and to unifying
Ireland. The IRA conducted attacks until its cease-fire in 1997 and agreed to disarm as a part of
the 1998 Belfast Agreement, which established the basis for peace in Northern Ireland.
Dissension within the IRA over support for the Northern Ireland peace process resulted in the
formation of two more radical splinter groups still interested in using force to achieve their aims.

1
Sinn Féin is the oldest political party in Ireland, named from the Irish Gaelic expression for ``We Ourselves''. Since being
founded in 1905 it has worked for the right of Irish people as a whole to attain national self-determination, and has
elected representatives in every major Irish town and city.

Property of Anglo-Chinese Junior College 83

Do Not use without permission
Global Fact Sheets 2005 1AHR/2005

Tactics and Activities

Traditional IRA activities have included bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, punishment
beatings, extortion, smuggling, and robberies. Before the cease-fire in 1997, the group had
conducted bombing campaigns on various targets in Northern Ireland and Great Britain, including
senior British Government officials, civilians, police, and British military targets. The group’s
refusal in late 2004 to allow photographic documentation of its decommissioning process was an
obstacle to progress in implementing the Belfast Agreement and stalled talks. The group
previously had disposed of light, medium, and heavy weapons, ammunition, and explosives in
three rounds of decommissioning. However, the IRA is believed to retain the ability to conduct
paramilitary operations. The group’s extensive criminal activities reportedly provide the IRA and
the political party Sinn Fein with millions of dollars each year; the IRA was implicated in two
significant robberies in 2004, one involving almost $50 million. The IRA is presently no longer
associated with the Sinn Fein.
Dealing with them – Success/Failures
Diplomacy and lobbying from the moderates within the Sinn Fein as well as engagement by
British official have been ongoing since the Belfast Agreement and though has been a slow,
arduous process, has finally borne fruit recently. On the 28th of July 2005, the IRA said it would
‘follow a democratic path ending more than 30 years of violence.’ All IRA units have been ordered
to disarm and volunteers have been instructed to assist the development of purely political and
democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means. The IRA has also agreed to greater
transparency and examinations from external agencies regarding arms supplies and activities.

• Indonesia
- There has been a significant change in Indonesia’s attitude. Before the Bali bombing on 12 October 2002,
Indonesia was in a denial mode and many Indonesians had seen the September 11 catastrophe as a
largely American problem. Even after the Bali tragedy, there was a widespread feeling for a few weeks
among the public that elements of the Indonesian military or the CIA could have been behind the attack.

- However the well publicized investigations of the JI perpetrators of the attack, their confessions and
defiance, convinced many Indonesians that they have a genuine terrorist problem on their hands. There
have been dozens of arrests of terrorist suspects since then, including some connected with the Marriott
Hotel bombing last month.

- Indonesia is still reluctant to embark on a comprehensive crackdown on the JI within its borders, preferring
instead to act mostly against that part of the network that was
responsible for the Bali bombing, and, presumably, the JW Marriott Hotel bombing in
Jakarta. The clandestine JI network in Indonesia is probably extensive, possibly with
hundreds of members, and with links to openly operating radical Muslim groups. The
arrests so far have probably only scratched its surface.

- Indonesia also has a considerable way to go to develop proper legal and judicial systems and to build the
capacity to act effectively on matters like border controls and terrorist financing.

- But perhaps it is better to count the blessings than to bemoan what has not been possible thus far. It is not
difficult to understand the Indonesian dilemma. In the democratic politics of the country Islam is a significant
political force. This fact, together with the approach of elections in 2004, makes political leaders tread
gingerly against the JI so as not to invite a backlash from conservative Muslims.

Property of Anglo-Chinese Junior College 84

Do Not use without permission