Chapter 3 Beginnings The Causes of Terrorism Political Violence as Strategic Choice · Making Revolution: Acts of Political Will · A rational strategic choice to force change. · Terrorism as a tool to achieve a desired goal. · Case: Mao Zedong and “people’s war.” Perception and Cultural Disconnect: Adversaries in the War on Terrorism · Perceptions. · Western: A war against Western-style civilization. · Non-Western: An imbalance in policies toward Muslim countries vis-à-vis Israel. · Concept: The behavior of the West is the cause of angry sentiment in the Muslim world. · Case: CIA’s 2007 National Intelligence Estimate warning Iraq is a new training ground for terrorists. Political Violence as the Fruit of Injustice · Sociological Explanations of Terrorism · Intergroup conflict that leads to collective violence. · Structural theory: Social conditions (‘structures”) that affect group access to societal benefits. · Deprivation theory: Relative deprivation and absolute deprivation. · Cases: Basque Nationalism in Spain, Irish catholic Nationalism, Palestinian Nationalism, and French Canadian Nationalism · Criminological Explanations of Terrorism: The Path to Political Criminality · Differential Association Theory. · Anomie and Strain Theories · Routine Activity Theory. · Radical Criminology. · Psychological Explanations of Terrorism: Rationality and Terrorist Violence · Individual-level explanations. · Group-level explanations. · Generalized psychological explanations. · Case: The Stockholm syndrome. The Morality of Political Violence · Moral Convictions of Terrorists · Terrorists have an unambiguous certainty in the righteousness of a cause. · Concepts: · A group concludes it has been morally wronged by an immoral, evil enemy. · A group concludes it possesses an inherent moral superiority to an enemy. · Simplified Definitions of Good and Evil · A clear line is drawn between good and evil. · Violent methods are justified by the ennobled goals of the cause. · Seeking Utopia: Moral Ends Through Violent Means · The promised good outweighs present actions. · “The end justifies the means.” · Moral Purity: Codes of Self-Sacrifice · Superior codes of living that “cleanse” those who follow the code. · Case: Germany’s Waffen SS. · Case: Japan’s code of Bushido. · The Morality of Political Violence (continued) · Understanding Codes of Self-Sacrifice · Codes of self-sacrifice are an important explanatory cause for terrorist behavior. · Belief systems “cleanse” participants. Chapter 2 The Nature of the Beast Defining Terrorism Understanding Extremism Defining Extremism · Intolerance in what someone believes. · Intolerance in how someone expresses their beliefs. · Violent expression is not a universal characteristic. · Understanding Extremism (continued) Common Characteristics of Violent Extremists · Intolerance. · Moral absolutes. · Broad conclusions. · New language and conspiratorial beliefs. · The World of the Extremist · Different, often fantastic, wor ...

1. Chapter 3
Beginnings
The Causes of Terrorism
Political Violence as Strategic Choice
· Making Revolution: Acts of Political Will
· A rational strategic choice to force change.
· Terrorism as a tool to achieve a desired goal.
· Case: Mao Zedong and “people’s war.”
Perception and Cultural Disconnect: Adversaries in the War on
Terrorism
· Perceptions.
· Western: A war against Western-style civilization.
· Non-Western: An imbalance in policies toward Muslim
countries vis-à-vis Israel.
· Concept: The behavior of the West is the cause of angry
sentiment in the Muslim world.
· Case: CIA’s 2007 National Intelligence Estimate warning Iraq
is a new training ground for terrorists.
Political Violence as the Fruit of Injustice
· Sociological Explanations of Terrorism
· Intergroup conflict that leads to collective violence.
· Structural theory: Social conditions (‘structures”) that affect
group access to societal benefits.
· Deprivation theory: Relative deprivation and absolute
deprivation.
· Cases: Basque Nationalism in Spain, Irish catholic
Nationalism, Palestinian Nationalism, and French Canadian
Nationalism
· Criminological Explanations of Terrorism: The Path to
Political Criminality
· Differential Association Theory.
· Anomie and Strain Theories
· Routine Activity Theory.

2. · Radical Criminology.
· Psychological Explanations of Terrorism: Rationality and
Terrorist Violence
· Individual-level explanations.
· Group-level explanations.
· Generalized psychological explanations.
· Case: The Stockholm syndrome.
The Morality of Political Violence
· Moral Convictions of Terrorists
· Terrorists have an unambiguous certainty in the righteousness
of a cause.
· Concepts:
· A group concludes it has been morally wronged by an
immoral, evil enemy.
· A group concludes it possesses an inherent moral superiority
to an enemy.
· Simplified Definitions of Good and Evil
· A clear line is drawn between good and evil.
· Violent methods are justified by the ennobled goals of the
cause.
· Seeking Utopia: Moral Ends Through Violent Means
· The promised good outweighs present actions.
· “The end justifies the means.”
· Moral Purity: Codes of Self-Sacrifice
· Superior codes of living that “cleanse” those who follow the
code.
· Case: Germany’s Waffen SS.
· Case: Japan’s code of Bushido.
· The Morality of Political Violence
(continued)
· Understanding Codes of Self-Sacrifice
· Codes of self-sacrifice are an important explanatory cause for
terrorist behavior.
· Belief systems “cleanse” participants.

3. Chapter 2
The Nature of the Beast
Defining Terrorism
Understanding Extremism
Defining Extremism
· Intolerance in what someone believes.
· Intolerance in how someone expresses their beliefs.
· Violent expression is not a universal characteristic.
· Understanding Extremism
(continued)
Common Characteristics of Violent Extremists
· Intolerance.
· Moral absolutes.
· Broad conclusions.
· New language and conspiratorial beliefs.
· The World of the Extremist
· Different, often fantastic, worldview compared to non-
extremists.
· Basic belief that unjust forces are arrayed against true
believers.
· Clear sense of mission, purpose, and righteousness.
Defining Terrorism an Ongoing Debate
· Guerrilla Warfare
· Terrorism is not synonymous with guerilla warfare
· Guerilla translates to “little war”
· Guerilla warfare exists today
· A Sampling of Formal Definitions
· The use of illegal force.
· Subnational actors.
· Unconventional methods.
· Political motives.
· Attacks on “soft” civilian and passive military targets.
· Acts aimed at purposefully affecting an audience.
· The American Context: Defining Terrorism in the United
States
· No single definition has been adopted.

4. · Definitions have been developed from time to time by
government agencies.
· For example, by the Department of Defense, the U.S. Code,
the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of
State.
· The American Context: Defining Terrorism in the United
States (continued)
· Composite American definition: “Premeditated and unlawful
act in which groups or agents of some principal engage in a
threatened or actual use of force or violence against human or
property targets. These groups or agents engage in this
behavior intending the purposeful intimidation of governments
or people to affect policy or behavior with an underlying
political objective.”
· Types of Terrorism
· A general consensus among experts about the types of
terrorism.
· State terrorism.
· Dissident terrorism.
· Religious terrorism.
· Criminal terrorism.
· International terrorism.
Perspectives on Terrorism
· Perspective 1: Four Quotations
· “One Person’s Terrorist is Another Person’s Freedom Fighter”
· “One Man Willing to Throw Away His Life is Enough to
Terrorize a Thousand”
· “Extremism in Defense of Liberty is No Vice”
· “It Became Necessary to Destroy the Town to Save It”
· Perspective 2: Participants in a Terrorist Environment
· The terrorist.
· The supporter.
· The victim.
· The target.
· The onlooker.

5. · The analyst.
· Perspective 3: Terrorism or Freedom Fighting?
· Debate: Whether the use of political violence is justifiable.
· Governments and dissidents always cite noble aspirations to
justify violence.
· Perspective 4: Extremism or “Mainstreamism”?
· Debate: Whether political violence is always manifested from
a political fringe.
· Do some political environments make extremism justifiable
within the mainstream?
The Political Violence Matrix
·
The Political Violence Matrix
· Combatant and Noncombatant Targets
· Indiscriminate and Discriminate Force
· Case in Point: The Orlando Mass Shooting
· The Terrorism Hate Crime Nexus
· Recall the opening viewpoint
· Religion-inspired mass shooting directed against a
demographic group.