Terrorism Paper

This social and political issue has plagued mankind for centuries, but has only recently come into the eyes of current world leaders. The events of September 11, 2001 brought this issue into the spotlight (What Is Terrorism? Pg. 1). Ladies and gentlemen, I am of course talking about the agonizing issue of terrorism. Although this issue has existed for centuries, the word "terrorism" has only begun being used in the second part of the 19th century (What Is Terrorism? Pg. 1). The earliest account of a terrorist act in the second part of the 19th century was in 1968 when a Palestinian terrorist hijacked an Israeli airliner (What Is Terrorism? Pg. 4). There are two other factors which aid terrorism: one being the media which informs the world of the attacks which strike fear into the hearts and minds of average civilians; and the other being the calculated attacks which produce the highest numbers of deaths and or injuries within the target area (What Is Terrorism? Pg. 4).

Although terrorist attacks are common through out the world, they can be geographically mapped to a certain part or region of the world. The reason being for this is that there are some countries or states within the world that harbor terrorists and support them either financially or militarily (What Is Terrorism? Pg. 1). One other aspect to consider is the type of threat posed by a terrorist group; for example a terrorist group may pose nuclear, biological, and or chemical threats which may be tracked to a certain countries or states within the world the poses these types of weapons (What Is Terrorism? Pg. 1). The causes of terrorist attacks may also be tracked; globalization, religion, geopolitics, and economic disparity must be considered within the study of terrorism to properly and adequately map out where possible terrorist suspects may be hiding out (What Is Terrorism? Pg. 1).

The objective(s) of a terrorist attack can be broken down into three main goals: 1) Terrorist groups or organizations (Al Qaeda for example) may want to the release of fellow members, establish their existence to the world, and or broadcast a message for the world (What Is Terrorism? Pg. 2). 2) Terrorists may want to create a state of fear and or anxiety within the allotted population so they may better easily overthrow the government or change the current social order (What Is Terrorism? Pg. 2). 3) Terrorist leaders/organizers may want the targeted government to overreact and introduce harsh counterterrorism policies, which may provoke the general public to loath or even demand the resignation of their respected government (What Is Terrorism? Pg. 2).

"One is reminded of the 1985 movie "Brazil," set in an alternative comedic dystopia "somewhere in the 20th century," in which terror-bombings are so common that they barely generate attention. In one scene set in a fancy restaurant, a bomb goes off, but the diners don't even stop chatting away, even as fires are extinguished and bodies are carried out."

(The San Francisco Chronicle. Feb. 17th, 2004/May 13th, 2006)

The Israeli government and Hamas are one of the many two sides of terrorism and counter-terrorism. Hamas (Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyya) has one primary goal; which is the establishment of an Islamic state in all of Palestine (Hamas, Section #3). In order for them to accomplish this goal, they must declare all-out Jihad against their enemies and they must gain the participation of the entire Islamic community (Hamas, Section #3). The ideological and philosophical roots of Hamas can be found within the Muslim Brotherhood, which dates back to 1920 Egypt; Hamas later renewed and strengthened its activities in the 1960's/1970's within the Arab world (mainly in Jordan and Egypt) (Hamas, Section #2). The first official documented attack was registered in 1978 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin (who later died in 2004) (Hamas, Section #2). Hamas has been apart of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) from the beginning of their attacks to the January elections in 2006 in which they took majority control of the Palestinian government (Hamas, Section #1), "Hamas has won Gaza municipal elections as a Palestinian minister warns if Israeli occupation continues, then violence in the region will soon return."

(Al-Jezeera.net. January 28th, 2006/May 18th, 2006). Hamas is conducting these types of attacks because they want full control of Palestine and the surrounding areas (Gaza Strip and the West Bank). What they stand to profit is the support of the Islamic community, the gaining of new territory and resources, the fear that will be put into the Israeli people, the release of their comrades, and the possible introduction of counterterrorism laws that will cause a backlash within the Israeli people against their own government; this is of course the best way to bring down a government. Hamas has achieved some of its goals by taking control of Palestine. However, I don't think that they will accomplish their goal completely because they must first