Does Terrorism Succeed?

Vanity: spintreebob@yahoo.com | 7-11-05 | Bob Schmidt

[spintreebob]

What is terrorism? Is it not the attempt to create a feeling of terror in others?

Terrorism does not win with a body count; nor with the occupation of land as traditional wars do.

The terrorists have accurately assessed the situation. Western culture and civilization depend on rational thought .... facts and logic. The terrorists win when they can cause all or part of western civilization to abandon rational thought and resort to irrational responses.

It does not matter to terrorists which irrational button they push or which illogical response they get. To cut and run is irrational. To "Go Postal" is irrational. As long as it is irrational that is all that matters.

If they have studied western terrorism (marxists, anarchists, etal) they would hope for an irrational "Go Postal" response that penalizes "all Moslems" or "all immigrants" when only a small number of that group are engaged in terrorism. The tactic is always to allege injustice and then create a situation in which the irrational response proves the charge which was previously baseless.

In the movie THE PATRIOT, when Mel Gibson wanted to react irrationally to terrorism of the British, he was advised to "stay the course" which meant to implement a rational strategy and tactics and not "Go Postal". It will be interesting to watch the response of various people. Who will respond rationally? Who will play into the trap of the terrorists?

[spintreebob]

Why do the media, both reporters and analysts, treat terrorism as if its goal is a body count and not the attempt to incite an irrational response?

[Yo-Yo]

You know, I've asked myself the same question "does terrorism work?" My first reaction is "of course not."

Then I look at the Spanish elections, I look at Sinn Fein now in mainstream Northern Ireland politics, I look at the Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and the move towards creating a Palestine State, and I wonder if terror does work after all, as long as the underlying goal of the terrorists is at all reasonable or just.

The specific question of is terrorism working in Iraq is more relevant. There, the terrorist's goals is to return to Ba'ath rule, and that isn't going to happen. The other goal is to have the US withdraw from Iraq. Ironically, if they'd stop blowing things up, we'd leave. So in that specific case, no it doesn't appear to be working.

[TAquinas]

"Why do the media, both reporters and analysts, treat terrorism as if its goal is a body count and not the attempt to incite an irrational response?"

And they are wrong.

Terrorism's goal (not their ultimate goal) is to create disorder out of order. It's so much easier to create disorder out of order than order out of disorder or chaos. Their ultimate goal is then to recreate a new order of their disorder.

[theDentist]

Terrorism's aim is also to create doubt in the governing authority. The moment people change their normal lives to avoid the potential of an attack, then terrorism has a victory. It also tends, however, to create anger and resistance upon those who they have attacked. And in the long run, will likely lose. But if they win, they find their leadership to be extremely fragile, and subject to the same soft underbelly that they cut into themselves.