One Russian journalist suggested that terrorism is hatred: person to person, person to humanity. Whatever the name of this social concept, the conclusion still begs one: the terrorist is the enemy of mankind. As long as they exist in our world, no one can feel safe, because the number of terrorist attacks is growing every day with great speed. According to statistics, the actions of these bandits occur every two to three days in the world, and these illegal actions bring only death.
The concept of "terrorism"
Translated from Latin, the concept of "terror" means fear and horror. Based on this, terrorism must be understood as a social phenomenon, the purpose of which is to intimidate the enemy and suppress it by all possible means, including physical destruction. Historically, terror is not only about intimidation; its essence is reflected in moral and physical impact. A terrorist is a subject that performs certain actions aimed at intimidation and violence. The subjects of this violence can be an individual, an organization, a group of people, or just random passers-by who are not connected in any way with the purpose of carrying out a terrorist act, but simply find themselves in the wrong place. Most often, these people associate with gangsters with the whole society, any state body or public structure. Persons (or groups of individuals) who commit these terrible actions most often have the goal of destabilizing the situation in the country or in society. A terrorist is a person who wants the fear and mistrust of the authorities to drive people to revolutionary measures, to influence the decision of government officials. Fear and misunderstanding of the situation can cause the outbreak of war with another state, civil war, an acute desire for independence.
Terrorists are not only individuals. Huge organizations and groups can conduct illegal, frightening activities, including with the financing and support of entire states.
The essence of terrorism is an illegal activity, therefore, it has a number of certain signs:
- This activity entails great danger, having a direct intention in causing death to one, several or a large number of people.
- It has a public character of performance. A large number of people should become aware of this act.
- The purpose of illegal actions is a direct desire to create an environment in which fear and depression prevail.
- In carrying out actions, bandits, influencing some, pursue the goal of influencing completely different people.
If we compare the concepts of “terror” and “terrorism”, we can say that the first concept is broader, more massive, and a large number of people suffer from terror.
International terrorism: its subjects and significance
International terrorism is directed against individual states or a certain circle of citizens. Its main goal is a serious violation of the normal activities of the state, undermining the stability of its relations with other countries. Its subjects are entire countries, citizens of a particular nationality, government facilities, politicians or diplomats. This type of terrorism is called the economic version of the war. This method is the most effective: people die, the country's economy is undermined, its position in the world, and everything happens with minimal military costs and casualties from those who organize and carry out everything.
The main principles of this type of banditry are:
- All military means for committing a terrorist act are located on the territory of the enemy, that is, purchased on this territory.
- Those who engage in subversive activities are located in different parts of the enemy state, it is difficult to detect them, because most often bandits legally live in this country.
- The organizers of the attacks are also difficult to find because to manage them a network leadership system is created in which it is difficult to reach the very top.
The main tools of terrorism, both international and domestic, is the psychological elevation of the enemy, because the organizers always have a clear and thoughtful plan, and it is very difficult to find out what kind of blow will be dealt in the future.
History of terrorism
If we trace the emergence of terrorism, we can conclude that it appeared a very long time ago. That is, violence against a person has long appeared, and the generally accepted concept arose only in the twentieth century. The first manifestation, according to some historians, is the partisan movement in some countries of Latin America. A group of people after the dispersal of the partisan movement in these countries began to act, having carried out several subversive acts, which were later called the "urban guerilla". In the early 60s, such an action took place in the Israeli army. During these years, Palestinian terrorists blew up military equipment, hijacked planes with passengers, then blew them up, seized vehicles with hostages or occupied buildings with people, created sabotage in crowded places. For decades, the country has been captured by a wave of terrorism-extremism. In the same years, similar manifestations began in the countries of Western Europe, when the so-called Italian "red brigades" appeared, the separatist groups of ETA in Spain, the republican army in Ireland. The list of terrorists is very long. The scariest of them is Osama bin Laden, which was liquidated in early May 2011. This terrorist number 1 brought a lot of evil and tears to this world, destroying many lives. His name was associated with a huge number of crimes, explosions and attacks. He has been wanted since 1998. The following well-known terrorists are: Ayman al-Zawahiri, who organized the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Adam Gadan, Daniel Andres San Diego, alleged participant in the organization of the bombing of office buildings in the US, Ali Atwa, who is involved in aerial piracy, bombing, hostage-taking, Fahd Mohammed Ahmed al-Quso and many others.
Types of Terrorism
This social phenomenon is classified according to several criteria. If we consider territorially, then we can distinguish international and domestic terrorism.
Depending on the motive for illegal actions, political, religious and national are distinguished.
The most controllable, according to many historians, is political terrorism. Its main focus is the expression of dissatisfaction with the existing political system within the state. This type of banditry appeared the very first. State bodies basically learned to cope adequately with such gangs. Those of them that have existed for many years begin to subside: senior leaders of existing groups are already serving their sentences, and the new generation is not so dangerous and professional. Political terrorist actions are quite limited in nature, they can influence not only government agencies, but also society as a whole.
National terrorism is the unlawful actions of a group of people that are aimed at creating their own independent state. Groups that want to create their own separate state structure are arming themselves and are trying to defend their interests using weapons. The financing of terrorism in this case occurs at the expense of other states, structures, people who are interested either in creating a new political system, or in seriously undermining the economic or social sphere of the existing one, against which the actions of bandits are directed. Often the basis for financing is not only the political side, but also the financial one. Over the past century, the most striking example of national terrorism is the struggle of the Kurds in favor of creating a new state of Kurdistan, which took place on the territory of four states at once: Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria.
Another example is the struggle of a group of people in southern France and Spain, the so-called Basques, who wanted to become completely independent. In Great Britain, members of the IRA - the Irish Army - were named terrorist nationalists who are trying to create an independent state through terrorist attacks. A certain manifestation of this type of terror, according to some part of society, is the struggle of the south-eastern part of Ukraine for the possibility of creating its own federal unit as part of another state. The most terrible kind of this social phenomenon is considered one that is based on religious beliefs. Religious fanatics are ready to easily give their lives in the struggle for their ideals. The main manifestation of this type of terror is the struggle of the Palestinians, which takes place in Israel. Speaking of the leaders of the gangs, it is necessary to highlight the already destroyed Osama Bin Laden, who laid down his life on the creation of a world Islamic state. This terrible man was able to unite a large number of people who became a threat to other people's innocent lives, raise huge amounts of money to organize the struggle, and establish the al-Qaeda rescue fund. Under his auspices, suicide bombers were trained for whom there is nothing sacred. They are united only by a common goal.
Suicide bombers
Suicide bombers cause controversial opinions among experts. There are many approaches to this concept. A. Merari, a well-known specialist in the study of the essence of terrorism, believes that this definition does not have a common concept. It is impossible to bring all the suicide bombers under one comb. A suicide bomber may be a normal person, but under the influence of certain factors, views and beliefs, he is ready for self-sacrifice. Recruits are involved in the training of such individuals. First, they find a person with a suitable psychological portrait, then process it and gradually lead to the implementation of certain actions that take the life of not only a suicide bomber, but also a large number of people. All this, in their opinion, is done in the name of a common goal, most often this is religion. In second place is nationalism.
A suicide bomber can also be a person whose brain is clouded by national or religious ideas. This is a kind of tool in the hands of leaders of terrorist groups, which, as a rule, does not understand the true goals of their actions, but believes that they are doing this for the good of mankind.
Another specialist studying the concept of “suicide bomber”, Aarkus has a different opinion. According to him, there are two types of suicide bombers. The first type is precisely religious or national fanatics, and the second is artificially created suicide bombers who, under the influence of religion or national views, are capable of self-sacrifice.
But professor Ross from an American university, studying the psychological side of the actions of a suicide bomber, argues that various factors, both social, psychological and national, influence their formation. Favorable conditions for the development of terrorism are the social problems existing in a particular society, the development of democracy, a suicidal tendency, a kamikaze cult, fear of lack of demand in life and society, aggression, guilt towards others and much more.
Forms of Terrorism
The phenomenon of terror has various forms of manifestation. All of them are taken into account when drawing up criminal legislation. The division into forms is conditional, since often a terrorist act is a combination of several forms. Mixed forms are most common - for example, the capture of vehicles with people. In this case, several actions are combined: hostage taking and vehicle capture.
One of the most common and dangerous forms of terrorism is the use of explosive devices in order to cause maximum harm. The weapons of terrorists are the most diverse, including explosive devices. It can be homemade bombs or factory bombs. The reasons why the bandits use explosive devices are understandable: when they are used, the damage is enormous. Home-made devices do not require significant costs, in addition, you can use remote control, which increases the level of security of the terrorists themselves.
The second most important form is the theft of air, sea or other type of transport, including rail. This form is often combined with the explosion of a stolen transport, so it leads to numerous casualties, especially if the captured transport can accommodate many passengers.
This form of terrorism, as an act, consists of several stages: first of all, capture and subsequent hijacking. Capture is called mastery of transport through violence. A terrorist is a criminal who applies force both to the crew of a ship or aircraft, and to passengers. Basically, after the capture of a transport (vessel), the criminals change the course of movement, choosing their direction.
Hostage-taking is considered the third form of terrorism, although this act is combined with other forms. Hostages in theory are people who are forcibly held in a certain place as guarantors of the fulfillment by terrorists of state or other persons. Hostage taking, as a form of this type of banditry, objective data has the following:
- capture planning with the definition of the purpose of the action;
- search for partners in a crime;
- the search for the necessary means to achieve the goal;
- determination of the place of capture, the study of the presence of security, means of communication between the guards, the time and direction of their movement;
- committing acts aimed at capturing and illegally holding people;
- making requirements;
- negotiations of terrorists.
Quite a serious form is psychological terrorism, which is a moral abuse of people. This is psychological blackmail, the use of deadly weapons or violence.
In modern society, cyber terrorism has emerged, which is a deliberate criminal attack on information that is processed by computer equipment or programs, and is important for the public or the state. This form can also harm both the health and life of the population.
The situation of terrorism in the world
This topic has become very relevant in recent years. The news is simply overwhelmed with facts about terrorist acts. It seems that all the terrorists in the world have begun to act actively, achieving their political, national or religious goals. Experts connect the main reason for the activity of such organizations with the times of crisis in Europe and in the world. Any terrorist operations can lead to the destruction of the existing regime. Terrorist fighters seize entire territories, shoot down planes and do other terrible things. Human lives become weapons for national or religious purposes.
The situation with terrorism in Russia
In Russia, the topic of terrorism occupies a lot of place in daily news. Terrorist acts in Russia took place immediately after the collapse of the Union, in 1994-1995, they did not stop even later. The largest act in recent years in the Russian Federation was the terrible capture of Beslan in North Ossetia, when children became victims. Terrorists are people who do not have any morality, which is why they encroached on the lives of children. In the school, which was captured by criminals on September 1, 2004, there were about 1,200 people who died in three days of terror - 326. According to an investigation by intelligence agencies, 32 people took part in that terrible action, 31 of whom were killed in the process of freeing people. Only one of the bandits remained alive. You can also recall the Nord-Ost, the capital's palace of culture, which was mined by terrorists along with 700 spectators and employees of the institution. The terrorists held the hostages for three days, morally mocking the relatives of the poor. The act ended with an assault, which, according to the official version, began after the bandits started shooting people. In this fight, special forces against terrorists acted professionally, but had to use deadly gas. Unfortunately, many innocent people died from its effects.
Another terrorist threat to modern Russia is the Arab Wahhabis. , . , , , .
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Anti-terrorist units have been created in the Russian Federation, the main of which are the Alpha and Vympel groups. Also, special services that fight terrorism are created under the army, under the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Vega group), and under law enforcement agencies.
Terror can only be avoided by the joint efforts of different countries that are committed to a serious resolution of the problem. It is necessary to develop an integrated approach to combating this phenomenon by not only legal and enforcement impact, but also by identifying the main causes of its occurrence. The most important thing is not to look for excuses for terrorism, not to divide it into right and wrong. It is necessary to fight against any of its manifestations. At the legislative level in all countries, criminal responsibility for an act of terror must be strengthened. The Anti-Terrorism Law and criminal law need to be tightened, including the death penalty.
Laws that Fight Terrorism
The law on countering terrorism, adopted in March 2006, helps the fight against terrorism in Russia. The law establishes the basic principles of struggle, and develops various methods of prevention.