The document discusses different types and definitions of terrorism. It notes that terrorism involves acts of violence to achieve political change, but definitions depend on views of the legitimacy of causes. Terrorist groups include left-wing, right-wing, ethno-nationalist/separatist, and religious groups. While most terrorist groups achieve little, some like the PLO negotiated gains after entering politics. The document traces the history of terrorism and its evolution, including the rise of al-Qaeda and its influential 9/11 attacks, which dramatically impacted subsequent international relations events like the US "War on Terror".

1. Lecture 10:
Terrorism and terrorists

2. What is terrorism?
• Terrorism is a controversial term
• All definitions agree that terrorism involves acts of
violence
• Terrorism differs from criminal violence because it
aims to achieve political change
• Terrorists claim to fight for a just cause, but opponents
of that cause regard them as ordinary criminals
• Whether we describe something as terrorism depends
on our view of the legitimacy of the cause

3. Who is a terrorist?
• States reserve for themselves
the power to define who is a
terrorist
• In the 1980s, the USA regarded
the Afghan Mujahideen as
‘freedom fighters’ when they
resisted the Soviet invasion
• Two decades later, the USA
accused a new generation of
Afghans of being terrorists for
resisting western invasion

4. State violence:
the first terrorists
• The first use of the term
came after the French
Revolution, when the new
government used terror
against its own citizens
• Thousands of real and
imagined enemies of the
Revolution were executed
• The terror backfired, and
the leaders followed their
victims to the guillotine

5. Is state violence terrorism?
• State violence is not normally regarded as
terrorism now
• In Realist IR theory, states have a monopoly
on the use of force
• Thus only sub-state groups are regarded as
terrorists
• These groups and their supporters would not
accept that distinction

6. State-sponsored terrorism
• One factor not covered
by the Realist concept of
state force is state
support for terrorist
groups in other countries
• Libya under Gaddafi
sponsored several
groups carrying out what
he called ‘revolutionary
violence’

7. Terrorism in International Relations
• Terrorist groups are
not regarded as a
legitimate actor in IR,
as they operate
outside the law
• Even so, it is clear
that terrorist groups
have been able to
exert influence on
international and
domestic politics

8. Terrorism as a struggle
• Terrorism is the weakest form of armed struggle
• Terrorist groups lack the means to engage in
direct confrontation with governments
• Terrorists therefore pick soft or limited targets
• Most terrorist groups enjoy limited popular support
– they are too radical
• Terrorists usually seek to provoke a
disproportionate response from governments
• This strategy can be counterproductive, as
terrorists can lose support

9. Types of terrorism
• In terms of political aims, terrorist groups can
be conveniently divided into four types:
• a) left-wing
• b) right-wing
• c) ethno-nationalist or separatist
• d) religious or ‘sacred’
• These distinctions can overlap – some ethno-
nationalist groups could be Marxist or inspired
by Marxist ideas

10. Left-wing terrorism
• Left-wing groups generally wish to
achieve overthrow capitalist
governments and establish
societies run according to Marxist
or quasi-Marxist principles
• Most of these groups were formed
in the 1960s
• They were inspired by the actions
of earlier anarchist groups

11. Early left-wing groups
• Long before the creation of
the Soviet Union and modern
communism, several early
terrorist groups pursued
broadly left-wing ideals
• One notable group was
Russia’s Narodnaya Volya
(the People’s Will), members
of which assassinated Tsar
Alexander II in 1881

12. Right-wing terrorism
• Right-wing terrorism is a
relatively recent development
• These are mostly small groups
inspired by neo-Fascist and
neo-Nazi ideas
• Their actions often target
government buildings,
foreigners or real or perceived
political opponents

13. Ethno-nationalists
• Ethno-nationalists are probably the
best-known type of terrorists
• Ethno-nationalists generally seek
independence (or greater autonomy)
for a region, and target what they
see as an oppressive occupying or
imperial governments
• Ethno-nationalists regard themselves
as national liberation movements

14. Early ethno-nationalist groups
• An early example of ethno-
nationalist terrorism was the
Fenian group, which fought
to gain Irish independence
from Britain
• In 1867 they planted a
bomb outside Clerkenwell
Prison in London, trying to
rescue two of their members

15. Later ethno-nationalist groups
• Ethno-nationalist groups
became common during
decolonisation
• Many leaders of such
groups became rulers after
independence or changes
of regime
• Ethno-nationalist terrorism
continues in many parts of
the world

16. Religious or ‘sacred’ terrorism
• Many groups have claimed to
be inspired by Christian or
Jewish faith, including the
Lord’s Resistance Army in
Uganda
• However, religious terrorism is
usually associated with Islamist
groups, notably Al Qaeda

17. Terrorism after 1968
• Terrorism has long been an important factor in
the domestic politics of many countries
• Since 1968, terrorism has played a far more
prominent role in international politics and
international relations
• This was partly a factor of better transport,
particularly air travel
• The development of the media – TV news –
gave unprecedented publicity to terrorist events
• Several groups of diverse origin began to
collaborate

18. New methods
• In 1968 the Popular Front
for the Liberation of
Palestine – a Marxist
group that later became
part of the PLO – hijacked
an El Al jet
• In 1970 the same group
attempted to hijack five
planes
• Three of the planes were
blown up in the eyes of
the world’s press

19. International cooperation
• The 1970s saw
cooperation between
terrorist groups with very
different aims – Germany’s
left-wing RAF, Northern
Ireland’s IRA, Palestine’s
Fatah and the Japanese
Red Army
• States like Libya, East
Germany and even the
Soviet Union gave help to
some groups

20. Terrorism and globalisation
• The changes associated with globalisation – the
growing interconnectedness of the world – have
created new opportunities for terrorist groups
• Better transport means increased mobility
• The Internet and mobile phone technologies
allow better communication, organisation and
publicity
• They also make it possible to coordinate attacks
from anywhere in the world

21. The rise of Al Qaeda
• What is new about Al Qaeda?
• It represents the newest form of terrorism, the
so-called ‘sacred’ terrorism
• Motivated by its own interpretation of Islam, it
promises its operatives rewards in the afterlife
• It works as a brand, rather than as a tightly
structured organisation

22. Origins of Al Qaeda
• The war against the Soviet
Union in Afghanistan in the
1980s created a space for
radical Islam
• Many who had fought with
the Afghan Mujahideen
went on to found Al Qaeda
and similar organisations
• These wished to become
involved in Islamist
struggles elsewhere in the
world

23. Evolution of Al Qaeda
• Al Qaeda adopted an
anti-American and anti-
Western stance,
particularly after the
stationing of US forces
in Saudi Arabia
• Notable actions
included the suicide
attack on the USS Cole
in 2000

24. The 2001 attacks
• The multiple attacks on
the US mainland in
September 2001 were the
most spectacular actions
of Al Qaeda
• The attacks targeted
important symbols of
capitalism and American
military power
• The attacks were also
designed to gain
maximum publicity

25. What has terrorism achieved?
• Most terrorist groups have
achieved very little
• It is very difficult to undermine
state power, unless there is strong
popular support for the cause (not
necessarily the methods)
• Some former terrorists entered the
political process and achieved all
or some of their aims, usually
national independence or
autonomy
• These groups (Sinn Féin, the
PLO) usually had concrete aims
that could be negotiated
• Most left- and right-wing groups
achieved nothing

26. Terrorism and IR: the balance
• However, the aftermath of
the 2001 saw US President
Bush launch his ‘War on
Terror’
• Soon this led to the invasion
of Afghanistan and
ultimately to the invasion of
Iraq
• Thus a terrorist organisation
had dramatic influence on
subsequent events
• Terrorists can therefore be
significant actors in IR in
certain circumstances