The Roots of Terrorism

Terrorism started to emerge in order to challenge the leaders and masters that were neglecting the needs of the people. Whether it was the starving people of France that strived for a better life without the monarchy or the African indigenous people that wanted to be more then just a colony of Europe, the time of the kings, dictators, and imperialism was coming to an end. As the old system collapsed, the stability tranquility that was to follow was not easily achieved. Only more reign of terror emerged as all sides tried to gain political power, and would reach for the sword rather then negotiate. A good modern day example would be the War in Iraq where Sunni’s and Shiat’s battle each other with all the tools of terror at hand, in order to gain as much territory and power as possible.

“In the war for Baghdad mosques serve as garrisons. Sunnis use religious sanctuaries as strongholds to fight for mixed neighborhoods. Shia extremists convert their mosques and prayer rooms, into execution chambers” (Ned Parker, The Times, 28/11/06)

Rapid decolonization saw the rise of national movements in diverse territories such as Algeria, South Africa, and Viet Nam. The rebels/terrorists in these countries often faced overwhelming odds and a far superior opponent. The solution that is best for such an entity is the implementation of gorilla and terrorist tactics. The Viet Cong were especially skilled in these ways while facing the for more superior US army. They never confronted their enemy in a frontal attack, only harassing and then retreating. The laying of booby traps in order to severely injure American soldiers rather then to kill was done in order to heighten aggravation and anger. This sometimes resulted in attacks against the local population by US troops, frustrated by an invisible enemy. An overreaction by the opponent is also something that is calculated by terrorists in order to gain the populations support, and fuel hate against the enemy. Another feature of terrorist tactics is the use of the media, which has a great impact on the home population of the adversary and can help shift the situation in favor of the terrorist entity as seen done in the Tet- offensive of 1968. The Tet-offensive was a total military disaster for the North Vietnamese forces, but the fact that images of hostile forces were able to reach the American embassy compound was enough proof for the American people that the war was lost. Very similar tactics are being used today by Iraqi insurgents that never miss an opportunity to film the killing of American troops and posting them on the internet. Another good example would be the insurgent attack that was broadcast live as the President of Iraq and the new UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon were speaking recently.
The US defeat by the left wing, communists in Viet Nam excited the imagination of revolutionaries across the globe. Proving that by will power and determination, strong regimes can be beaten or even toppled.