Since the terrible events of September 11, 2001, with the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the subject of terrorism has exploded on the world stage. President George W. Bush has declared a war against terrorism. The vast resources of the United States and other countries have been directed toward ending terrorism in America and around the world. Yet, in spite of these developments, it is clear that countries are not only divided about what to do about terrorism, but even about how to define it.
By its nature, the term "terrorism" is bound up in political controversy. It is a concept with a very negative connotation. Because terrorism implies the killing and maiming of innocent people, no country wants to be accused of supporting terrorism or harboring terrorist groups. At the same time, no country wants what it considers to be a legitimate use of force to be considered terrorism. An old saying goes, "One person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter."
Today, there is no universally accepted definition of terrorism. Countries define the term according to their own beliefs and to support their own national interests. International bodies, when they craft a definition, do so in the interests of their member states. Academics striving to define terrorism are also subject to their own political points of view.
European countries and the United States tend to define terrorism narrowly, making sure that it only applies to acts of non-governmental organizations. For example, Title 22 of the U.S. Code defines terrorism as "premeditated, politically motivated violence" against "noncombatant targets by subnational groups" usually with the goal to influence an audience.
The U.S. Department of Defense uses a definition that highlights another element of the Western concept of terrorism. Terrorism is "the calculated use of violence or the threat of 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." In other words, terrorism is violence designed to advance some cause by getting a government to change its policies or political behavior. Contrast these definitions with one produced by Iranian religious scholar, Ayatulla Taskhiri in a paper delivered at a 1987 international terrorism conference called by the Organization of the Islamic Conference. After a review of Islamic sources concerning terrorism, Taskhiri defined it as follows: "Terrorism is an act carried out to achieve an inhuman and corrupt objective and involving threat to security of any kind, and in violation of the rights acknowledged by religion and mankind."
This is a much broader definition of terrorism. Under this definition, nation states themselves could be guilty of terrorism. Any inhuman or corrupt objective coupled with an act that threatens security and rights regardless of the motivation could be considered terrorism. Later in his paper, Taskhiri accuses the United States of being the "mother of international terrorism" by oppressing peoples, strengthening dictatorships, and supporting the occupation of territories and savage attacks on civilian areas. The United States would likely reject this definition and Taskhiri's charges and could point out that many states under this definition would also be chargeable with terrorism. Nevertheless, the definition points out the wide gulf in perceptions about what is terrorism and who is guilty of it.
Consider some additional definitions of terrorism.
"All criminal acts directed against a State intended or calculated to create a state of terror in the minds of particular persons or persons in the general public." (League of Nations, 1937)
"Act of terrorism = Peacetime Equivalent of War Crime." (Alex P. Schmid of United Nations Office for the Prevention of International Terrorism. He is the author of many books on terrorism, including Terrorism and the Media, 1992.)
"Terrorism is the premeditated, deliberate, systematic murder, mayhem, and threatening of the innocent to create fear and intimidation in order to gain a political or tactical advantage, usually to influence an audience." (James M. Poland, professor of criminal justice at California State University, Sacramento. He has written extensively on terrorism and hostage crisis intervention.) While there is no universal definition of terrorism, various experts point out that there are common elements to most terrorist acts. Acts of terrorism usually are committed by groups who do not possess the political power to change policies they view as intolerable. Middle Eastern terrorism intensified in the 1970s in response to defeats of Arab nations in wars with Israel over the Palestine issue. Convinced that further wars were futile, a number of countries, including Egypt, sought peace with Israel. This enraged groups within those countries dedicated to the defeat of Israel, who then turned to terrorism.
Terrorists choose targets and actions to maximize the psychological effect on a society or government. Their goal is to create a situation in which a government will change its policies to avoid further bloodshed or disruption. For these reasons, terrorists often choose methods of mass destruction, such as bombings, and target transportation or crowded places to increase anxiety and fear.
Terrorists plan their acts to get as much media exposure as possible. Media coverage magnifies the terrorist act by spreading fear among a mass audience and giving attention to the terrorist cause. The attacks on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics assured a worldwide television audience, as did crashing planes into the World Trade Center.
Terrorists often justify their acts on ideological or religious grounds arguing that they are responding to a greater wrong or are promoting a greater good. For example, Leon Trotsky, a communist leader during the Russian Revolution, justified the use of terror by the Red Army as a necessary evil to promote the worldwide cause of workers and as a response to the military actions of counterrevolutionaries and Western powers.
An act of terrorism can be a traumatic event
We say something is traumatic when it is shocking, upsetting, disturbing, painful, or harmful. Being a victim of crime is often a traumatic event and can have an effect on people for a long time.
Feel angry, sad, lonely, or depressed.
Have trouble sleeping.
Feel like no one understands.
Think it’s your fault.
Feel sick to your stomach or not want to eat.
Feel like you have no friends.
Find that you are always getting into fights.
Want to hurt someone else or yourself.
Feel like taking steps to defend yourself.
Feel hopeless about whether anything can be done.
Feel bad about yourself.
Be afraid to go out.
Feel anxious all the time.
Being a victim of crime when you’re a teenager can really affect how you develop and mature as an adult.
What follows are some of the normal phases teens go through, and how they can be affected by victimization.
If you are dealing with some of the issues described below, you should know that you don’t have to feel this way forever. It is important to remember that, with help, you can begin to feel better.
You have probably been taught about the changes your body goes through during the period called puberty, or adolescence. Although awkward and uncomfortable, these changes are healthy and normal. Teens who are victimized (especially sexually) during puberty may feel unclean or devalued. You might think there is something strange about your body. You may think that the changes in your shape or size caused or encouraged the abuse and that you have no control over what happens to you. You might think that the only way to get attention is by using your body to attract it. You may feel that your body is worthless or “only good for one thing.”
Younger children are closely connected to their families and caretakers. Adults fulfi ll their needs for guidance, help, comfort, companionship, food, shelter, and safety. As you get older, however, your need for your parents decreases, and your emotional dependence on your friends increases. Most teens test limits set by their parents, look for social and emotional support from friends, and become more concerned about the acceptance of friends than family. Teens who have been victimized, though, often feel different from their friends. You may feel that no one else understands what you are going through. You might feel separated and isolated from your friends. You might feel like your friends are judging you or blowing you off, or harassing you. You may want to withdraw from your friends, or fi nd a new group of friends where you feel more accepted.
One of the most important life skills you begin to learn as a teen is critical thinking. Critical thinking is the ability to think about what is happening in a situation and to anticipate several different ways it could turn out. If during your teen years you become a victim of crime, you may start to think that bad things will continue to happen. You may start believing that you will always feel lonely, hurt, or confused and that you can’t do anything to change it. You might feel hopeless and helpless, or even think about hurting yourself or dying. But if you can begin to think critically, you can start to fi gure out several different possible outcomes to your situation and ways to get beyond the bad times.
During normal development, adolescents begin learning to think abstractly. They also analyze the relationships between cause and effect, learn to predict outcomes, and identify and explore values. If you are victimized during the development of these skills, you might begin to mistrust your own values and judgment and wonder if something you did “caused” the victimization. You may believe that you are responsible for what happened or that you are bad or should expect nothing better than this kind of treatment. You may feel that your personal choices and desires are meaningless and may begin to expect to be hurt and used by other people.
Part of growing up is learning to evaluate risks. It’s looking at choices you make, figuring out what might happen, and deciding if it’s worth doing. A risk might be making a friend of a different ethnic background, trying out for a sport, exploring career and educational opportunities, or deciding who to date. Victimized teens sometimes have a hard time thinking about these choices and don’t see when things are dangerous or have a long-term impact. You might have used drugs or alcohol, had unprotected sex, driven after drinking, gotten into fi ghts, or started stealing. You might not recognize, appreciate, or care about the long-term consequences of your choices.
More than 1.5 million teens become victims of violent crime each year.
Parents
Teachers
School counselors
School resource officers
Coaches
Clergy
Youth program staff
Victim service providers
Rape crisis centers
Community mental health agencies
Social workers Police
Friends
Neighbors
Relatives
If you choose to tell someone, you should know that some adults are mandated reporters. This means they are legally required to report neglect or abuse to someone else, such as the police or child protective services. You can ask people if they are mandated reporters and then decide what you want to do. Some examples of mandated reporters are teachers, counselors, doctors, social workers, and in some cases, even coaches or activity leaders.
The most important thing is your safety. Seek out persons or resources in your community that can help you reduce your risk of being victimized again. Find healthy things that help you express how you feel: write in a journal, talk to friends, paint or draw, or exercise. It doesn’t matter very much what it is, as long as it doesn’t hurt you or anyone else, and it makes you feel better.
Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do or say if a friend has been the victim of a crime. He or she might not know how to talk about it either. Let your friend know that you care. Stay calm, and don’t judge their choices or behavior. Believe your friend, and just listen. Sometimes letting them vent and not needing to have answers for everything can help a lot. Sometimes the family and friends of victims also feel the impact of the crime and experience emotional and physical reactions. This is called secondary victimization. If this is happening to you, help is available for you, too.
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