ch5

1. Chapter
5
Babette
Protz
University
of South
Carolina
Lancaster
GENDER ROLES, TACTICS, AND
FORCE MULTIPLIERS IN
TERRORISM

2. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: CHAPTER 5
 Summarize the tactics of modern terrorism.
 List and describe four force multipliers.
 Discuss historical and current roles of women in
terrorism.
 Outline the tactical importance of female terrorists.
2

3. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: CHAPTER 5
 Define the types of threats posed by technological
terrorism.
 Explain the effects of biological, chemical and
radiological weapons.
 Characterize the possibility and possible outcomes
of nuclear terrorism.
3

4. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: CHAPTER 5
 Discuss the role of the media as a force multiplier.
 Summarize transnational economic targeting in the
tourist, energy, and transportation industries.
 Summarize theories of suicide bombing.
4

5. TERRORISM TACTICS
 Bombing
 Hijacking
 Arson
 Assault
 Kidnapping
 Hostage taking
 Weapons of mass destruction
5

6. FORCE MULTIPLIERS
 Transnational support
 Increases terrorist groups ability to move and hide
 Technology
 Allows a small group to launch a deadly attack
 Media coverage
 Makes minor group appear to be politically important
 Religion
 Transcends normative political and social boundaries
6

7. THE BOMB
 Philosophy of the bomb
 The only way to communicate with the social order was to
destroy it
 Terrorists tend to increase their effectiveness in bombing
by applying improved explosive technology to their
weapons
 Thermobaric bomb
 Spreads fuel in the air and then ignites it
7

8. MOSCOW BOMBING
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUiEHovbg4E
Discussion:
 Did it surprise you that the suicide bombers were women?
 Would you say that the location and the timing of the
bombing were such as to create a level of fear as much as
to cause casualties? Support your view.
8

9. WOMEN AND TERRORISM
 Female terrorists are not new to the history of
terrorism:
 18th century France
 19th century Russia
 20th century US
 Rebels in Ireland
 Western revolutionary groups
 Women are actively recruited by religious terrorists
today
9

10. WOMEN AND TERRORISM
 Role of women in terrorist groups is more closely
determined by the political orientation of an
organization than its tactics
 Women are more attracted to domestic terrorist
organizations than international groups
 Women also have opportunities for leadership in
revolutionary (domestics) groups
 International terrorists try to defend a traditional culture
that limits the role of women
10

11. WOMEN AND TERRORISM
 Revolutionary groups
 Ulricke Meinhof and Leila Khalid served as combatants,
leaders and served as inspiration for supporters
 Secular and religious terrorist groups
 Women increasingly receive combat assignments
because they are so numerous
11

12. IMPACT OF TERRORISM ON WOMEN
 Women have a greater sense of vulnerability to
crime, and these feelings seem to transfer to
terrorism
 Israeli study
 Women seemed to be more scared of terrorism than men,
because women experienced terrorism more vicariously
 Women were more likely to suffer from posttraumatic
stress and seek assistance following terrorist attacks
 Women approached the fear of terrorism with problem-solving
strategies
12

13. WOMEN AND TERRORISM
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JXyh8WeRYiE&NR=1&feature=endscreen
Discussion:
 Do you consider it somewhat ironic that while women are
considered subordinate to men – their role being that of wives
and mothers; they are recruited as suicide bombers?
 Do agree with statement that it is easier for women to go
through security checkpoints than it is for men? What would
you suggest as a counter-measure?
 How does this video align with the Israeli study?
13

14. OVERLOOKING FEMALE TERRORISTS
 Researchers do not tend to think of women as
terrorists or criminals
 When they do look at females, researchers usually view
women as victims
 Law enforcement officers do not tend to arrest
females
 It is generally assumed that terrorism is a violent
male occupation
14

15. CYBERTERRORISM
 The use of computers to attack technological
targets or physical attacks on computer networks
 An attractive low-risk strategy
 Computers allow terrorist groups to remain
connected, providing a means for covert
discussions and anonymity
 Greatest fear of cyberterrorism concerns
catastrophic or multiple system failures
15

16. WMD: BIOLOGICAL AGENTS
 Modern arsenals contain bacterial weapons and
viral weapons, with microbes cultured and refined,
or weaponized, to increase their ability to kill
 The Center for Disease Control classifies the most
threatening from the groups as smallpox, anthrax,
plague, botulism, tularemia, and hemorrhagic fever
16

17. US BIOLOGICAL ATTACKS AFTER 1980
 Bacteria
 Religious group in Oregon spread bacteria in area salad
bars to sicken potential voters
 Hundreds of people suffered food poisoning
 Anthrax
 Cases were reported in Florida, Washington, DC, New
York, New Jersey, and Connecticut
 Public health response was disorganized
 The case is still under investigation
17

18. WMD: CHEMICAL & RADIOLOGICAL
 There are four types of chemical agents: nerve
agents, blood agents, choking agents, and blistering
agents
 Radiological weapons are more head resistant and
lasts longer than chemicals
 Exposure to radiation can produce short-term burns and
long-term heath problems
18

19. HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM (HEU)
 HEU is plentiful and easy to obtain
 HEU is so potent that it could be used in a dirty
bomb or a nuclear device
 Terrorists could build a device with HEU without the
assistance of a nuclear state
19

20. NUCLEAR TERRORISM
 The most fearful scenario with WMDs involves a
nuclear explosion
 Tel Aviv University Scholars suggest that the
probability of nuclear terrorism is low
 The nuclear threat is based on the crime causation
model: victim, opportunity to commit a crime, and
the criminals’ desire
20

21. NUCLEAR TERRORISM
MISCONCEPTIONS
1. Security is never 100% effective.
2. The nuclear black market does not exist.
3. Building a nuclear bomb is a complex process.
4. Nuclear defense should be based on realistic,
comprehensive scenarios.
5. We should create total intelligence pictures of
terrorist groups beyond nuclear terrorism.
6. Total protection is not possible, but we can tip the
scales in our favor.
21

22. COUNTDOWN TO ZERO
 http://www.takepart.com/zero
Discussion:
 What did find most interesting about the film?
 From the information you received from the movie, which
country do you feel poses the biggest threat? How should
we address that threat?
 Experts have suggested nuclear terrorism is today’s
greatest threat. How do you think we should guard against
this?
22

23. MEDIA FORCE MULTIPLIER
 Both governments and terrorists see the media as a
force multiplier:
 Security forces (symbols of sanity in a world turned
upside down) assume the role of heroes who are trying to
restore order
 Constant reporting makes small terrorist groups seem
important
 With repeated media coverage, the striking power of the
terrorist group is magnified
23

24. TOURISM
 Terrorism does not seem to have an impact on
domestic travel
 Terrorism most frequently affects international
travelers
 Terrorism against tourists has a negative economic
impact
24

25. ENERGY
 Fossil fuels present tempting targets:
 They represent the power and strength of the
industrialized world
 Strikes against oil refineries have an economic impact on
the West
25

26. ENERGY ATTACKS
 Saudi Arabia
 al Qaeda sought to destroy production facilities; destroy
transfer systems; and target individual oil workers,
especially foreigners
 Pakistan and Balochista
 The Bugtis resent and resist Pashtun incursion into their
native land, which has led to sharp fighting and a guerrilla
war
26

27. TRANSPORTATION
 After the September 11 attacks, the federal
government immediately budgeted $4.8 billion to
protect the aviation industry
 Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore have joined to
protest insurance premiums on ships traveling
through the Strait of Malacca
 Critics of homeland-security policies argue that
ports remain unsecured because of the costs
associated with increased protection
27

28. HIDDEN BOMBS
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woz74cXDI_s
Discussion:
 Do you agree or disagree with Erroll Southers that the
release of information by the government instils level of
confidence in the public. Support your view.
28

29. THEORY OF SUICIDE TERRORISM
 Pape (2005) believes three factors must be in place
before a suicide terror campaign occurs:
 Nationalistic or ethnic group must be resisting the
occupation of a foreign power
 Foreign power must have democratic government whose
voters will not routinely allow the slaughter and repression
of the people in the occupied area
 Must be a difference in the religions of the occupying
power and the people living under occupation
29

30. TEENAGE SUICIDE BOMBERS
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-
13115660
Discussion:
 What are your thoughts on children and adolescents being
used as suicide bombers?
 Do you think most suicide bombers freely decide to
engage in suicide bombing, or do you think they are
manipulated into their actions? Support your views.
30

31. MODELS OF SUICIDE ATTACKS
 Gunaratna sees three things that all attacks have in
common: secrecy, reconnaissance, and rehearsal
 The Hamas model involves a professional group
that plans and executes the attack, and a support
group to prepare the attacker
 For many years, researchers believed that this was the
only model for suicide bombing
31

32. MODELS OF SUICIDE ATTACKS
 Cronin finds that different models emerged over
time:
 The LTTE trained suicide bombers
 The PKK leadership coerced victims
 The bombings in Chechnya represent a different
combination of social and psychological factors
32

33. CHAPTER TAKE AWAYS
 The tactics of terrorism are straightforward and
simple, but they are employed in innovative ways.
 The study of terrorism is complex as a result of
tactical innovation.
 Force multipliers – technology, transnational
support, religion, and the media – enhance the
power of terrorist groups.
33

34. CHAPTER TAKE AWAYS
 It is important to understand the tactical impact of
gender on terrorism, but research on the roles of
women has been neglected.
 Technological attacks can be made more effective
by using WMD, cyber-attacks, or economic
targeting.
 Suicide bombing has become a particularly
terrorizing tactic, but there is no single explanation
for either understanding or preventing it.
34