The History of Terrorism

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at warfare and how it has changed from the traditional and historical depictions of rules of engagement and strategy to how it is today. The author describes this warfare as terrorism and explains how the use of commercial transportation that can be converted into a weapon of mass destruction, or, more recently, the use of handicapped individuals who do not have the capacity to form a political or ideological thought have been used as human weapons. The paper goes on to describe the history and evolution of terrorism and also explains how terrorism is as much psychological warfare as it is physically destructive.

From the Paper:

"Al Qaeda consists of Islamic fundamentalist leadership, but its forces, and especially those young men who fight, who commit suicide on behalf of Al Qaeda, are the product of decades of war in Afghanistan, going back to the Soviet presence in Afghanistan. Many of these young men grew up in refugee camps in Pakistan during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The conditions were horrific, and we can see those conditions in film footage of Darfur today. Young children tied to their mothers' ankles so that they do not go astray; women without the resources to provide for their children, or to create a home. The conditions were psychologically devastating."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Astrain, Luis Nunez. The Basques: Their Struggle for Independence. Trans. Meic Stephens. Cardiff, Wales: Welsh Academic Press, 1997. Questia. 18 Apr. 2008 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=97675920>.
• Evans, Martin. The Memory of Resistance: French Opposition to the Algerian War (1954-1962). Oxford: Berg Publishers, 1997. Questia. 18 Apr. 2008 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=76801128>.
• Perdue, William D. Terrorism and the State: A Critique of Domination through Fear. New York: Praeger, 1989. Questia. 18 Apr. 2008 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=107021591>.
• Silke, Andrew. Terrorists, Victims, and Society: Psychological Perspectives on Terrorism and Its Consequences. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2003. Questia. 18 Apr. 2008 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=111421241>.
• Smith, M. L.R. Fighting for Ireland? The Military Strategy of the Irish Republican Movement. London: Routledge, 1997. Questia. 18 Apr. 2008 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103490735>.

More papers on The History of Terrorism:

• Analytical Essay # 74138 : "History of Terrorism"
• Term Paper # 26892 : "The Threat of Terrorism"
• Argumentative Essay # 146815 : "History and Motivators of Terrorism"

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