ASSIGNMENT

TERRORISM AND ITS INPACT ON SOCIETY

TERRORISM
Terrorism is the use of force or violence against persons or property in
violation. Terrorism is, in the broadest sense, the use of intentional violence to
achieve political aims. It is used in this regard primarily to refer to violence
during peacetime or in the context of war against non-combatants (mostly
civilians and neutral military personnel).
Types of terrorism:
Civil disorder –
A form of collective violence interfering with the peace, security, and normal
functioning of the community.
Political terrorism –
Violent criminal behaviour designed primarily to generate fear in the
community, or substantial segment of it, for political purposes.
Non-Political terrorism –
Terrorism that is not aimed at political purposes but which exhibits "conscious
design to create and maintain a high degree of fear for coercive purposes, but
the end is individual or collective gain rather than the achievement of a
political objective".
Anonymous terrorism –
In the two decades prior to 2016-19, "fewer than half" of all terrorist attacks
were either "claimed by their perpetrators or convincingly attributed by
governments to specific terrorist groups". A number of theory have been
advanced as to why this has happened.[99]
Quasi-terrorism –
The activities incidental to the commission of crimes of violence that are
similar in form and method to genuine terrorism but which nevertheless lack
its essential ingredient. It is not the main purpose of the quasi-terrorists to
induce terror in the immediate victim as in the case of genuine terrorism, but
the quasi-terrorist uses the modalities and techniques of the genuine terrorist
and produces similar consequences and reaction.[100][101][102] For example,
the fleeing felon who takes hostages is a quasi-terrorist, whose methods are
similar to those of the genuine terrorist but whose purposes are quite
different.
Limited political terrorism –
Genuine political terrorism is characterized by a revolutionary approach;
limited political terrorism refers to "acts of terrorism which are committed for
ideological or political motives but which are not part of a concerted campaign
to capture control of the state".
Official or state terrorism –
"referring to nations whose rule is based upon fear and oppression that reach
similar to terrorism or such proportions". It may be referred to as Structural
Terrorism defined broadly as terrorist acts carried out by governments in
pursuit of political objectives, often as part of their foreign policy.
Other sources have defined the typology of terrorism in different ways, for
example, broadly classifying it into domestic terrorism and international
terrorism, or using categories such as vigilante terrorism or insurgent
terrorism. One way the typology of terrorism may be defined:
 Political terrorism
 Sub-state terrorism
 Social revolutionary terrorism
 Nationalist-separatist terrorism
 Religious extremist terrorism
 Religious fundamentalist Terrorism
 New religions terrorism
 Right-wing terrorism
 Left-wing terrorism
 Communist terrorism
 State-sponsored terrorism
 Regime or state terrorism
 Criminal terrorism
 Pathological terrorism
Causes and motivations
Choice of terrorism as a tactic
Individuals and groups choose terrorism as a tactic because it can:
Act as a form of asymmetric warfare in order to directly force a government to
agree to demands
Intimidate a group of people into capitulating to the demands in order to avoid
future injury
Get attention and thus political support for a cause
Directly inspire more people to the cause (such as revolutionary acts) –
propaganda of the deed
Indirectly inspire more people to the cause by provoking a hostile response or
over-reaction from enemies to the cause.

Causes motivating terrorism

Specific political or social causes have included:
 Independence or separatist movements
 Irredentist movements
 Adoption of a particular political philosophy, such as socialism (left-wing
terrorism), anarchism, or fascism (possibly through a coup or as an
ideology of an independence or separatist movement)
 Environmental protection (ecoterrorism)
 Supremacism of a particular group
 Preventing a rival group from sharing or occupying a particular territory
(such as by discouraging immigration or encouraging flight)
 Subjugation of a particular population (such as lynching of African
Americans)
 Spread or dominance of a particular religion – religious terrorism
 Ending perceived government oppression
 Responding to a violent act (for example, tit-for-tat attacks in the Israeli–
Palestinian conflict, in The Troubles in Northern Ireland, or Timothy
McVeigh's revenge for the Waco siege and Ruby Ridge incident).Causes
for right-wing terrorism have included white nationalism,
 ethnonationalism, fascism, anti-socialism, the anti-abortion movement,
and tax resistance.

Personal and social factors

Various personal and social factors may influence the personal choice of
whether to join a terrorist group or attempt an act of terror, including:
 Identity, including affiliation with a particular culture, ethnicity, or
religion
 Previous exposure to violence
 Financial reward (for example, the Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund)
 Mental health disorder
 Social isolation
 Perception that the cause responds to a profound injustice or indignity

Democracy and domestic terrorism

Terrorism is most common in nations with intermediate political freedom, and
it is least common in the most democratic nations.
Some examples of "terrorism" in non-democratic nations include ETA in Spain
under Francisco Franco (although the group's terrorist activities increased
sharply after Franco's death), the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists in pre-
war Poland, the Shining Path in Peru under Alberto Fujimori, the Kurdistan
Workers Party when Turkey was ruled by military leaders and the ANC in South
Africa. Democracies, such as Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States,
Israel, Indonesia, India, Spain, Germany, Italy and the Philippines, have
experienced domestic terrorism.

Religious terrorism
Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing. Some 35,000 Pakistanis have died from
terrorist attacks in recent years.
According to the Global Terrorism Index by the University of Maryland, College
Park, religious extremism has overtaken national separatism and become the
main driver of terrorist attacks around the world. Since 9/11 there has been a
five-fold increase in deaths from terrorist attacks. The majority of incidents
over the past several years can be tied to groups with a religious agenda.
Before 2000, it was nationalist separatist terrorist organizations such as the IRA
and Chechen rebels who were behind the most attacks. The number of
incidents from nationalist separatist groups has remained relatively stable in
the years since while religious extremism has grown. The prevalence of Islamist
groups in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria is the main driver
behind these trends.

Psychological effect
The most striking consequence of these terrorist attacks is the human loss
caused by bomb attacks. It causes heavy civilian mortalities. According to Barth
Li, “During the past 35 years the world has witnessed nearly 20,000 terrorist
incidents, ranging from the hostage takeover during the 1972 Munich Olympics
to the 2002 and 2005 tourist bombings in Bali. These incidents have resulted in
more than 90,000 casualties worldwide.”The more losses caused by a terrorist
attack, the greater the psychological effect it has on the general masses.
Terrorists create a sense of fear in the minds of the people. This fear leads to
sense of discontentment and terror among people. It also leads to a sense of
helplessness, which further creates depression among people regarding their
personal and social well-being.

Social consequences
Terrorism not only negatively impacts individuals but also the whole social
system. Due to terrorism the society splits which harms the social fabric and
unity. It causes social segregation and isolation among the different strata of
the society. As the difference between the sufferers and the accused gets
broadened, the feeling leads to social disturbance and people feel divided
within the society. Because of the continues violent attacks, social prosperity
and well-being of the masses is always at risk which makes the lives of the
people more difficult and intolerable. The incidents of murder, torture,
mutilation, kidnapping and extortion create an atmosphere of suspicion, fear
and panic all around. The terrorists kill unarmed civilians including women and
children.

Economic Consequences
Terrorists’ attacks, whether local or international, cause immediate human,
economic and psychological repercussions of differing intensity. There may not
seem a direct economical consequence but panic actually influences the
economy significantly. Panic caused by the terrorists’ activities affects the
patterns of consumption and investment behaviour of the individuals and
companies can then lead to distinct market disturbances. According to Dr.
Michael Williams, “the main effect of terrorist attacks is their ability to disrupt
the population’s spending pattern”. Therefore, the perception of a terrorist
attack plays a big part in the impact on the economy. It can for example, lead
to drops in demand in the tourism area. Indeed, “hotels, restaurants, travel
agencies and other tourist-related business confronted a sharp drop in
demand, in the United States but also in many other countries, in particular in
the Caribbean and in the Middle East.”

Conclusion
Threat of terrorism has been evident for many years, but only in recent times
this threat has became fact. The paper is an attempt to focus the psychological,
social, political and economical consequences of terrorist attacks. Any act of
terrorism by the nature of its very purpose leaves a lingering impact on those
who are either its victim or even its witness. There is still an ongoing debate
about the effect of terrorism on today’s global economy. Some argue that it is
still a secondary disturbance, and that the cities which are the main targets of
the attacks, tend to recover quickly and effectively. Others argue that
international terrorists’ activities have long term effect on industries such as
tourism and these consequences are likely to have a domino effect on other
industries. The terrorist attacks significantly affect the mental health of the
individuals. They became depressed anxious and worried. These feelings of
depression also affect their behaviour. They feel emotionally upset, sad,
nervous, and feel stress most of the time. The current stream of terrorism
made them more concerned about the safety of their families as well as their
own. Therefore, there is a need to offer an empathic, non-judgmental,
collaborative approach to help these ailing individuals to achieve a better level
of adjustment.

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