Terrorism​—Who Are Affected?

Awake! has no involvement in politics. It takes a neutral position in this world’s political conflicts. However, in accordance with its purpose, it probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events. For that reason, Awake! examines the deeper motives behind terrorism as experts in the field see them. We leave our readers to draw their own conclusions

“Today the streets of the world’s great cities, its airport tarmacs, and military bases are being turned into battlefields as small bands of terrorists and lone assassins seek to achieve political goals.”

“From 1973 to 1984 there were over 5,000 terrorist incidents recorded worldwide that took over 4,000 lives and wounded twice that many.”

“During the past fifteen years, diplomats from 113 countries have been targets of acts of terrorism occurring in 128 different nations.”​—Fighting Back—​Winning the War Against Terrorism.

ARE you affected by terrorism? Did you cancel or change any travel plans during 1986 because of the fear of terrorists? Terrorism is now either a subliminal or a conscious stress factor in the lives of many people today. As Yitzhak Rabin, Israel’s minister of defense, wrote: “Fear of terrorism has become the normal way of life for many people all over the world.” It is very likely that you are helping to cover the costs imposed by terrorism. How so? A part of your taxes probably goes toward the higher costs of better security and increased preparedness that many governments are incurring because of the threat of terrorism.

Northern Ireland and the Middle East have been living with terrorism for decades. In recent years terrorism has left its mark on many European and Central and South American countries. And through television, radio, and the press, all of us have become acquainted with terrorist violence. It has almost become our daily fare. Terrorist bombs, murders, and kidnappings are so frequent that we have perhaps become callous. As a consequence, the abnormal seems normal, the unthinkable thinkable, and in some countries, such as Lebanon, the intolerable is tolerated.

Yes, terrorism is a fact of life​—part of the regular output of the media, who have converted terrorist leaders and groups into household names. Terrorism is now a worldwide scourge.​—See accompanying map.

What Is Terrorism?

It might seem simple to define a terrorist. But that depends on which side of the issue you find yourself. Are the subversives of El Salvador terrorists or a ‘people’s national liberation movement’? Are the contras of Nicaragua terrorists, or are they “freedom fighters”? Terrorism, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Political persuasion can distort a definition.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, offers this definition of terrorism: “The deliberate and systematic murder, maiming, and menacing of the innocent to inspire fear for political ends.” (Terrorism​—How the West Can Win) Sam Sarkesian of Loyola University, Chicago, defines it as “usually characterized by a variety of tactics, such as assassination, hijacking, kidnapping, sabotage, and the use of ‘innocent’ victims to affect a third party. Terrorism, in short, is the creation of fear in a population in order to force the existing system to respond to the terrorists’ demands and/​or objectives.”​—Hydra of Carnage.

On the other hand, Catholic professor of theology James Burtchaell writes: “Terrorism is the warfare of the desperate. . . . [It] is always the gesture of those who feel themselves at a disadvantage.”​—Fighting Back.

Whichever way you look at it, terrorism usually means violence and death for innocent people. As Jan Schreiber writes in his book The Ultimate Weapon: “Like an army, a terrorist gang operates in a dehumanized mode, making atrocity the stuff of daily life.”

Not a New Phenomenon

Although centuries old, terrorism as a form of political persuasion has especially been used in recent decades. Back in 1945, when it became evident that the British Labour government was not going to cede Palestine to the Jews, terrorist groups sprang up, including the “Irgun Zva’i Leumi (National Military Organization, called Etzel) and Lohamei Herut Yisrael (Fighters for the Freedom of Israel) [also known as Lehi or the Stern gang]​—[who] engaged in acts of terrorism. On July 22, Etzel blew up a wing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, which housed the government administration, and about 100 Jews, Britons, and Arabs were killed.”​—The Jews in Their Land, by David Ben-Gurion.

Since the 1960’s, terrorism has gathered momentum, especially in relation to the problems of Israel, the Palestinian refugees, and the Arab states.

Terrorism is not confined to Northern Ireland and the Middle East. Spain has its Basque ETA terrorists; India is troubled by Sikh separatists; Sri Lanka has been torn with strife because of Tamil militants; Peru has the Maoist Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) fighters. In the so-called democratic world, the list seems endless.

But why are the democratic countries so affected? And what really are the causes behind terrorism? Are terrorists simply oppressed groups seeking justice and redress? Or is there more to it? And is terrorism here to stay? The following articles will examine these and other questions.

[Map on page 5]

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Some countries recently in the news because of terrorism

United Kingdom

N. Ireland

Germany

France

Spain

Italy

Turkey

Lebanon

Israel

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

India

Sri Lanka

Japan

S. Korea

Philippines

Angola

SW Africa

S. Africa

United States

El Salvador

Nicaragua

Panama

Venezuela

Colombia

Peru

Argentina