“21st Century Terrorism” at Salem State College
This post is a brief overview from the lecture I gave to Salem State College history students on April 24th, 2009. The title of my lecture was “21st Century Terrorism” – a beginner’s look at modern day terrorism, terrorist groups Al Qaeda and Hezbollah, and a brief overview of the phenomenon of suicide bombing. The entire lecture is 27 slides but, for the purposes of this review, I’ve chosen to share only a few in order to drive home the main points. (I appreciate the great turn out, attentiveness and, most of all, the thoughtful questions of the attendees. This post serves as a reference for you to return to if and when you have additional questions.)
The two main sources I used when putting together this talk were Dr. Bruce Hoffman’s Inside Terrorism
The slides are pretty much self-explanatory, but feel free to post any comments, questions or general observations below. I’ll chime in where appropriate.
Non-Muslim terrorist groups include: The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Shining Path (“Sendero Luminoso”), Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE). In addition, these groups are all secular (non-religious) in nature, but the latter two are well-known to employ suicide operations.
Terrorist groups need both ideology and cash in order to exist. Ideologies can come from a number of different places – religious, political, nationalistic, etc. These days, much of the funding comes from direct donations as well as organized crime. Drugs are the number one criminal choice due to the $400 billion global drug market (equal to the approximate GDP of Spain). According to the CIA, the September 11th attacks cost approximately $500,000 to pull off. The 7/7 London attacks were between $10,000 and $30,000.
Like it or not – Hezbollah is a political party with democratically elected members in the Lebanese Parliament. We (the U.S.) can’t demand democratic elections around the world and then get mad when the “wrong” candidates win (i.e. Hamas in the Palestinian Territory). We’re going to have to deal with them on some level. But don’t take my word for it, watch this video of General Petraeus explaining the importance of talking to your enemies.
(A November, 2008 suicide attack by the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka)
All comments and criticism are welcome.
Click here to see a video excerpt of Randall H. Miller’s lecture on 21st Century Terrorism given in the Dominican Republic on 5/26/09.
To book me for a lecture or debate go here.
About the Author: Randall H. Miller is an American college educator/blogger. He is also a former U.S. Army officer (82nd Airborne) with a M.A. in Diplomacy (focusing on International Terrorism) and a B.A. in Criminal Justice. Use the form on the right to sign up and receive notifications of new content. The words and ideas expressed here are 100% his own and not those of his employers or affiliated organizations.
Frank the Tank | Apr 29, 2009 | Reply
I’m not sure Randy, but somebody blowing themselves up definitely equals crazy in my book.
Sarah M | May 7, 2009 | Reply
Hey i was in Kara’s class and I just wanted to say that i really enjoyed your lecture!
RHM | May 7, 2009 | Reply
@ Sarah,
It was my pleasure. Thanks for stopping by.
RHM
Alastair Reynard | May 11, 2009 | Reply
Here are a few facts for ya:
* The Tamil Tiger terrorists, just like the Al Qaeda terrorists, are not interested in negotiations.
* They only know the path of violence and have the ability to continue to terrorize democratic governments indefinitely.
* This ability comes from our own failure, specifically, the failure of civilized nations, to combat terrorism in a meaningful manner for the last 50 years. These groups are armed and financed by Western proxies.
As a nation attacked by terrorists, are we genuinely committed to fighting terror and help others do the same?