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* What is terrorism?
Terrorism can be defined as acts violence and methods of intimidation or
coercing a government or community by a person or a group to achieve
political objectives.
“…if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.
A bad usage can spread by tradition and imitation,
even among people who should know better.”
- George Orwell
The Task Force classified terrorism into following categories.
* Civil Disorders – A form of collective violence interfering with the peace,
security, and normal functioning of the community.
* Political Terrorism – Violent criminal behavior 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 high
degree of fear for coercive purposes, but the end is individual or collective
gain rather than the achievement of a political objective.”
*State sponsorship of terrorism –Also known as "state supported"
terrorism, when governments provide supplies, training, and other forms of
support to non-state terrorist organizations. One of the most valuable types
of this support is the provision of safe haven or physical basing for the
terrorists' organization. Another crucial service a state sponsor can provide is
false documentation, not only for personal identification (passports, internal
identification documents), but also for financial transactions and weapons
purchases. An example of state sponsorship is the Syrian government's
support of Hamas and Hizballah in Lebanon. Syrian resources and protection
enable the huge training establishments in the Bek'aa Valley.
*Bio-terrorism – Biological agents are organisms or toxins that can kill or
incapacitate people, livestock, and crops. The three basic groups of
biological agents that would likely be used as weapons are bacteria, viruses,
and toxins. Many break down quickly when exposed to sunlight and other
environmental factors, while others, such as anthrax spores, are very long
lived. Biological agents can be dispersed by spraying them into the air, by
infecting animals that carry the disease to humans and by contaminating
food and water.
*Chemical Terrorism: A chemical attack could come without warning.
Signs of a chemical release include people having difficulty breathing;
experiencing eye irritation; losing coordination; becoming nauseated; or
having a burning sensation in the nose, throat, and lungs. Also, the presence
of many dead insects or birds may indicate a chemical agent release.
There is ultimate relationship between the public, Media, Army and
Police force with Terrorism.
* Media and Terrorism: Terrorists, governments, and the media see the
function, roles and responsibilities of the media when covering terrorist
events from differing and often competing perspectives.
*REFRENCES:
1) Brannan, D. W., Esler, P. F., & Strindberg, N. T. A. (2001). Talking
to "terrorists": Towards an independent analytical framework for
the study of violent sub state activism. Studies in Conflict &
Terrorism, 24(1), 3-24.
2) Nacos, B., Terrorism and the Media, Columbia University Press,
New York, 1994.
3) Paletz, D., Schmid, A., (ed.) Terrorism and the Media, Sage
Publications, London, 1992.
4) Schlesinger, P., Media, State and Nation: Political Violence and
Collective Identities, Sage Publications, London, 1991
5) Schmid, A., de Graaf, J., Violence as Communication: Insurgent
Terrorism and the Western News Media, Sage Publications,
Zondon, 1982.
6) America’s National Strategy for Combating Terrorism September
2006.
7) http://www.neopagan.net/Terrorism.html
8) www.globalresearch.ca/articles/PUM306A.html
9) www.publicbookshelf.com/history/terrorism-global-
scourge/types-terrorism
Details of essay:
Total no. of words: 1973
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