C OMBATING T ERRORISM C ENTER at West Point Dr. James Forest Director of Terrorism Studies SS474: TERRORISM & COUNTERTERRORISM Lesson 1: Introduction to.

COMBATING TERRORISM CENTERat West Point

Dr. James ForestDirector of Terrorism Studies

SS474: TERRORISM & COUNTERTERRORISMLesson 1: Introduction to the Study of Terrorism

Agenda:

1) Course Admin Review

2) Course Assignment #1

3) Lesson 1: Defining Terrorism



Terrorist Group Analysis

• 3-page case study

• Describe a terrorist group, including motivations, structure, strategy, etc.

• Due 8 September, NLT 1600

• Your performance on this will determine who is selected to go on the DC trip

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Course Assignment #1



• Tuesday, 22 August – E Hour, GEN Downing

• Thursday, 24 August – Lesson 2: History of Terrorism

• Sunday, August 27 – Counterterrorism Fellowship reception, with military officers from 32 countries, at the Thayer Hotel, Lawn Terrace – See Sign-up Sheet

• Read, read, read like your life depends on it

• Guest lectures are mandatory (esp. GEN Downing)

• No “office hours” but e-mail me for appointments

• Some class or lecture dates may change: Always check the course website for latest information

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Course Admin notes



• Current Events

• Terrorist Hotspots?

• Reflections on the assigned readings– Hoffman– Stern– Crenshaw– Ahmad– Pillar

SS474: TERRORISM & COUNTERTERRORISMLesson 1: Introduction to Terrorism



• Definitions– Many– Ambiguous– Are terrorists “freedom fighters”?– Matter of perception?– What is the relationship between insurgency

and terrorism? Are all insurgents terrorists? Are all terrorists insurgents?

– AW/UW, 4GW and terrorism

Defining Terrorism



The Study of Terrorism: Implications for the Education of Military Officers

Officers must have a total grasp of the struggle, not just the terrorist acts

Why is terrorism being used as a tactic?

What are the political goals? Part of an insurgency?

What are the political, social, economic, cultural, information dimensions of the conflict as well as the security and military aspects.

How do these interrelate?

Training on tactics, techniques, and procedures can be developed but not until the leaders have the background

(According to GEN Downing and GEN McCaffrey)



• Vision• Power• Strategy• Tactic• Duty• Shame• Freedom fighter• Self-sacrifice• Will to kill• Skill to kill

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Terrorism: Key Terms

• Ideology• Indoctrination• Radicalization• Rationalization• Emotions• Moral Disengagement• Communicative Acts• Facilitators/Causes• Learning Organization• Counter vs. Anti• Hard/Soft Power



Certain aspects are fundamental

• Political act– Desire for political change– Terrorism is typically non-state in character

• (Note the separate but related topic of state terrorism – typically antithetical to the desire for political change.)

• States can terrorize, but they are not terrorists.

– Terrorists do not abide by norms• They target innocents• They seek psychological trauma


Dr. James ForestDirector of Terrorism StudiesAB95-5.PPT

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Primary Types

• Left-wing• Right Wing• Ethno-nationalist (separatist)• Religious

Defining Terrorism



Left wing terrorist

• Driven by liberal or idealist political concepts• Prefer revolutionary anti-authoritarian anti-

materialist agendas• Typically target elites that symbolize authority• Examples?



Right wing terrorists

• Often target race and ethnicity• Examples?



Ethnonationalist/separatists

• Usually have clear territorial objectives– Liberation/separation– Popular support usually along ethnic/racial lines.

• Examples?



Religious terrorists

• Believe involved in a struggle of good vs evil• Acting along desires of a diety – audience is

thus not necessarily human.• Feel unconstrained by law – higher calling• Complete alienation from existing socio/political

order• Support may be diffuse• Ideologies are supremacist & absolutist• Examples?



Historical Examples

• Zealots – Sicarri 1st century BCE– Murdered Romans in broad daylight in Jerusalem

• Hindu Thugee– Thugs originally religious sect that strangled & robbed

victims in ritual sacrifice

• Muslim Assassins– It is a myth that the word assassin comes from the

Arabic word haschishin for hashish user. – Assassin comes from Hassassin -- a follower of

Hassan – Hassan was Persian not Arabic



Historical Examples

• French revolution– Use of revolutionary tribunals to prop up the French

republic.– Rule by fear/terror – Robespierre’s “lists”

• Iraq– Hussein regime uses chemical weapons to subdue

uprising among Kurdish villages– Rule by fear/terror– Contemporary groups using terrorism . . .



Historical ExamplesIrish Republican ArmyHizballahETA (Basque Separatists)LEHI, Stern Gang and Zvi Irgun (Jewish extremists)Tamil Tigers (LTTE)Sendero LuminosoFARCMRTA (Tupac Amaru movement)Al QaidaJemaah IslamiyaAum ShinrikyoMoro Islamic Liberation FrontEgyptian Islamic Jihad

Algerian GIA and GSPCSyrian Muslim BrotherhoodHizb ut-TahrirAl Qaeda in IraqLashkar-e Taiba (and other Kashmir groups)Islamic Movement of UzbekistanItalian Red BrigadesRed Army Faction (Baader Meinhof Gang)U.S.-based militia groupsThe Order, the Aryan Brotherhood, Christian Identity, The Sword, the Covenant & Arm of the LordMany, many others . . .



More history of terrorism

• First VBIED (or “Car Bomb”) terrorist attack?

New York City, September 1920• Terrorist: Italian anarchist Mario Buda • Vehicle: Horse-drawn wagon • Target: Corner of Wall and Broad streets (directly across from JP

Morgan Company)• Attack: The wagon—packed with dynamite and iron slugs—

exploded at precisely noon in a fireball of shrapnel, killing 40 and wounding more than 200.



More history of terrorism

• Second VBIED (or “Car Bomb”) terrorist attack?

Haifa, Palestine (now Israel) January, 1947• Terrorists: Stern Gang (a pro-fascist splinter group led by Avraham

Stern that broke away from the right-wing Zionist paramilitary Irgun)• Vehicle: Truck • Target: British police station in Haifa• Attack: A truckload of explosives was driven into the station, killing 4

and injuring 140.

(The Stern Gang would soon use truck and car bombs to kill Palestinians as well, as part of their extremist agenda)



Basic trends in modern terrorism

• More violent attacks (and increasing lethality)

• Increasing use of suicide bombers (the ultimate smart bomb)

• Religious terrorist groups most common (even insurgencies and ethnic separatist groups use religion to justify violence)



Lesson 1: Wrap-up

– What is a terrorist? – Who is a terrorist? – Terrorists do not want a "terrorist state" so, what do

terrorists desire and what motivates terrorists? – Why do definitions matter?



Questions?

C OMBATING T ERRORISM C ENTER at West Point Dr. James Forest Director of Terrorism Studies SS474: TERRORISM & COUNTERTERRORISM Lesson 1: Introduction to.

Documents

terrorism slide

history of terrorism

c ombating t errorism

political change terrorism

study of terrorism agenda

west point

gen mccaffrey slide

course assignment