Terrorism: A Systemic View

Broadly speaking, ‘terrorism’ is regarded as extremely violent behavior by what is normally considered to be a minority subgroup of society. The value system in which terrorism is imbedded is not universally shared within the larger society from which it emanates. Terrorists form a movement that pursues a cause defined by its aims which, in turn, are defined within a value framework that may be political, religious, social or economic. Its objective is to obtain acceptance of its value system and its aims. In pursuit of this objective it applies violence aimed at creating terror and anxiety in one or more target societies. A major factor in the success of terrorism lies in the fear and social paralysis it induces. Through the media, particularly television, the terror produced is rapidly disseminated through a large part of the world. Instantaneous global dissemination by the media, particularly television, of news of terrorist acts promotes the aims of terrorism. Terrorists thrive on exposure of their message. The connections created by the media between most parts of the world directly favor terrorism. There is no better example than CNN and the September 11 attacks on the USA, which allowed a global audience to witness first hand terrorism in progress, in real time. Through violence, terrorism conducts what is primarily a psychological war directed at affecting the mind and the behavior of the public. Those who sympathize with terrorists see them as freedom fighters. They create an environment in which terrorist movements are supported and flourish. In practice there is usually a mixture of political, social, economic and religious values involved in terrorist movements. The Israeli problem is due to a combination of these forms of terrorism, each reinforcing the other. The freedom fighter form of terrorism, as was experienced in South Africa, was motivated by an inability of the majority of its population to deal with the complexity of their ‘oppression’ and quashing of their civil and personal ‘rights.’ The terrorism currently emanating from some Muslim societies is a reaction to the ‘oppression’ or suppression of religious values and ‘rights,’ among other things. Although almost all terrorists are fundamentalists, less than a majority of fundamentalists are terrorists. Therefore, to understand terrorism it is necessary to understand the nature of fundamentalism and its principal manifestations.