Terrorism

Sarah Kent
Causes of Terrorism
Extremist Ideologies- extremist ideologies of a secular or religious nature play
a great part in terrorism, when terrorists truly believe in what they are doing
they have unwavering loyalty to their cause and are that much more deadly
Lack of Democracy, Civil Liberties, and Word of Law- most democratic and
totalitarian societies have low levels of oppositional violence, countries and
societies that are weak lack the capacity to resist terrorist control making
them prime locations for terrorist activities
Past Political Violence, Civil Wars, Revolutions, and Dictatorships- countries
that have undergone such events are much weaker to terrorism, countries
may even feel that they are a victim and may justify terroristic actions with its
past
Hegemony and Inequality of Power- when local or international powers are
considerably stronger than opposition groups, opposition groups may rely on
terrorism and terrorist tactics

Terrorism Figures
Osama bin Laden: Killed by U.S. Navy Seals in a mansion in
Abbottabad, Pakistan. He was wanted for his admitted responsibility
in the 9/11 attacks. He was also placed on the Most Wanted
Terrorists list for his involvement in the bombings of the U.S.
embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Ayman al-Zawahiri: Al-Qaeda's No.1. Ayman al-Zawahiri is under
indictment in the United States for his suspected role in the 1998
U.S. embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi,
Kenya. The Rewards for Justice Program of the U.S. Department of
State is offering a reward of up to $25 million for information about
his location and capture.
Abdul Rahman Yasin- Accused of constructing bombs in the 1993
World Trade Center bombing. Yasin was allegedly a prisoner of
Saddam Hussein in 2002, but has since gone missing from Iraq.
Ahmed Ghailani- Captured in Pakistan on July 25, 2004, and later
held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Ghailani was tried by a civilian
court in New York in 2010 and convicted of conspiring to bomb the
American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.
Details
Terrorist attacks and attempted attacks on the US have become
less frequent since the 1970s, the 9/11 attacks being the
exception.
Since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 a greater percentage of
terrorist attacks have been made by individuals and have not been
affiliated with terrorist organizations.
North America suffers far fewer terrorist attacks than most regions
around the world
Organizations which carry out terrorist attacks have become very
diverse as seen in the image below.
Effects of Terrorism
Terrorist attacks often lead to fear mongering and panic by the
public, the public often lashes out to people who may be racially
profiled to belong in a terrorist group.
Terrorism greatly affects the economy of societies and will not only
lead to direct material damage, but also to long term effects on the
local economy.
Terrorism impacts tourism as many people will feel unsafe visiting
a country which has had terrorist attacks or that is known to be the
base or affiliated with terrorist groups.
Terrorism impacts the environment greatly as bombings can
decimate areas and testing and use of biochemical weapons harms
ecosystems and surrounding areas.
Primary Source photo
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
Primary Source Cartoon
Remarks by the President on Osama Bin Laden
11:35 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world
that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a
terrorist whos responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.
It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American
people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through
a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the
Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved
even more heartbreak and destruction.
And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner
table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know
the feeling of their childs embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.




Primary Source Text
Three Things to know
about the Situation
Most terrorism attacks are against businesses, not diplomatic,
government, or civilian affiliated.
Terrorism is not an act of war by a country, many terrorist
groups are in fact enemies of the countries that they come
from, an attack from an iranian terrorist does not equate to an
attack from Iran.
Most terrorism attacks are unsucessful.