The Concept of New Terrorism

The term "new terrorism" became popular shortly after the September 11th, 1993 assaults on the New York World Trade Center in the United States. Canadian periodicals attempted to explain the concept of modern terrorism and how it differs from the previous form by portraying it as a fight between the Middle East and the acknowledged decadence and immorality of Western countries. The new attacks in 2011 were carried out by suicidal, well-trained individuals who were unpredictable. To grasp the concept of new terrorism, it is helpful to compare it to the old type (Duyvesteyn, 2004, p. 452 ). The new terrorism targets at damage as a termination in itself while the old attacks applied great devastation as ways of a political end. Regarding planning, the new style is different from the past terrorism since it is horizontal and graded. New terrorists are well organized into groups such as the al-Qaeda which after the attacks claim to have taken part through various media platforms (Duyvesteyn, 2004, p. 458 ). Thus, the concept of new terrorism exists since there are developments which can be used to compare it from the old forms of attacks. In this piece work, a description of the new terrorism will be presented by the use of real-life examples and theories.

Though it is a difficult task to identify the end of one trend and start of another, the attack of the New York world trade center of 1993 as well as the bombing of Tokyo subways scheme of 1995 by Shinrikyo can be used as examples of terrorist attacks which paved the way for the new paradigm. In a broad view, the new model states that the contemporary terrorist attacks have diverse reasons, varying sponsors, different character and bigger lethality than the old style of such violence (Simon & Benjamin, 2000, p. 63). The objectives of the new terrorism are changing. Wilkinson posit theory argues that the risky left ideological inspiration for terrorism has nearly vanished in Europe but still present in Latin America (Matusitz, 2013, p. 48). Then, terrorism from the western nations of the world is decreasing. On the other hand, attacks of the western nations are on the increase, and the nationalist-separatist violence continues in many parts of the world currently (Simon & Benjamin, 2000, p. 64). Ethnic-nationalist militia associations are clinching more influence than the other attacking groups since they are getting natural sympathetic constituency. Further, the ethnic-nationalist unions have more clear and tangible objectives. Terrorism linked to the religious fanaticism has increased where various religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islamic have become stakeholders (Simon & Benjamin, 2000, p. 57). The old terrorist associations were mainly secular in their framework and motivation. Hoffman argues that religious inspiration is the describing feature of the new terrorism yielding radically diverse value scheme, the concept of morality, techniques of legitimization, global-view and justification as distinguished with the nonspiritual counterpart (Matusitz, 2013, p. 48).

The emergence of the new era of violence was accompanied in the US by worries of spectacular terror crimes. Various departments of the United States administration gave an unprecedented series of cautions concerning probable attacks, and several terror-linked arrests were made in the country, Jordan, and Canada. In a report published by Simon and David, the new terrorism in the US began during the administration of Clinton in 1993 (Simon & Benjamin, 2000, p. 61). The attacks were probably forerunners of a contemporary and vastly more dangerous terrorism which aimed to generate massive destruction and more deaths. The transition of the old terrorism to new styles was largely facilitated by Osama bin Laden, who was a leader of al-Qaeda (Simon & Benjamin, 2000, p. 68). Bin Laden was able to link to more than 50 nations across the world where terrorist operations were made. The network which Osama made facilitated conveyance of significant information to assists in committing terrorism.

A good example of new terrorism is the latest Texas attack which occurred on 26th October 2017. The militiaman who committed the crime was a fellow countryman. The terrorist, Devin Patrick Kelley, aged 26 years served the US air force from 2010 to 2014 before leaving the arm following a court-martial (Matusitz, 2013, p. 48). Devin received a horrible deportment release for attacking his child and wife. He lived in the town of New Braunfels, which is situated about 35 miles from Sutherland springs. In the attack, he was able to kill 26 individuals who were had attended a Sunday church service. Many more believers were left with injuries following the violence. The attack was declared as the worst mass terrorism act in contemporary Texas history and one of the of the worst gun bombardments in the current years (Nacos, 2016, p. 83). From this crime, it is evident that new terrorism is entirely different from the traditional style. Old-style terrorism was associated with Islamic militiamen whose primary target was to kill Christians (Nacos, 2016, p. 85). In this scenario, Devin was a US national, probably a Christian who attacked worshippers for unknown reasons. Though ISIS claimed to have been involved, there is a chance that Devin was never associated with the terror group or any other militia association.

Fundamentally diverse value techniques are not only as an outcome of the change to religious inspiration. In his theory, Laqueur states that the new terrorism varies in features, targeting not at evidently administrative anxieties but the damage of the humanity as well as the removal of significant parts of the populace (Pisoiu & Hain, 2017, p. 43). The need for damage and anarchy is not only found in racist paramilitaries and doomsday cults but also in massive attacks and current rage which are not linked to any political motive. Such terrorist actions were observed in Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti, and Algeria (Pisoiu & Hain, 2017, p. 47).

The nihilist and anarchist associations groups give a bigger problem to government action since their plans are non-sequential, non-political and their requirements can be bargained. When the terrorist groups provide any demands, they still show an interest in celebrity or notoriety but shows fewer theater motives as part of their political plan (Crenshaw, 2011, p. 64). Some of the contemporary terror attacks have gone unclaimed a tendency which Hoffman declares is a sign of loosening constraints on war. If the new terror association communicates their motives, they are incomprehensible. The contemporary non-negotiability may further be due to learning procedure on the side of the terror groups (Crenshaw, 2011, p. 66). New terrorist now engage in aircraft hijackings, and the linked extended bargains in part since the administration's more forceful feedbacks to solve that violence and they must be seen what fortune befell the terror groups who took hostages at the Japanese ambassador's home in 1996 in Lima, Peru.

Facts and Fiction Theory of New Terrorism

Facts and fiction theory of new terrorism can be presented in three parts, which are nicknames, wave concept, and religious context section. The beginning of new terrorism gives the nicknames and the commencement date (Richards, 2015, p. 53). There is no specific date which can be referred as the start of the new terrorism. However, this theory presents a series of events of how the new terrorism has varied and is expected to change as compared to the traditional form of such violence. It is argued that the new terrorism started when the WMDs technology was initiated (Richards, 2015, p. 72). The new technology assists terrorist to do massive destruction and killings as compared to the traditional terror attacks. A contemporary form of terror attack was indicated at the beginning of 20th century, referring to autonomist political war as well as various other periods since then.

The Rappaport’s wave concept has a far more comprehensive theory than other researchers in the discipline if new terrorism starting from his historical analysis. The researcher argues that a longer insightful of time will cure unduly focus on modern actions within terror attacks studies, possibly referring to the weight of the new terrorism theory (Richards, 2015, p. 53). The waves presented by Rappaport indicates how terrorism has changed concerning time. Most changes have been brought in by the rapidly changing technology (Richards, 2015, p. 63).

There is a significant variance between the new terrorism and old styles from which all the variations can be derived. There are some diverse takes on how terrorism has shifted with time, but the new terrorist groups are regarded to be inspired by religion (Richards, 2015, p. 56). Traditionally, terrorism was seen as an act done by Muslims but today more people who believe in other religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, and Buddhism have become actors in this crime. Further, the objectives of the new terrorism are derived from religious doctrines which emphasize transformational as well as apocalyptical views (Richards, 2015, p. 63).

How Terrorism has transformed

Strategic Motives

Following several debates on new versus old terrorism, some disparities of the two have been arrived at. Most of the contemporary terror groups and individual terrorists stay interested in finding attention and credit for their attacks through their audience who are ordinarily internal (Crenshaw, 2009, p. 31). For instance, in the white supremacist society, particular religious cohorts and ethnic groups have been linked to show motives of attention and acknowledgment from their audience. They do not require to make civic declarations compelling recognition for the violence since their community is now aware of the characters as well as their intentions. Otherwise, such terrorist may avoid public scrutiny of their association which endangers eliminating the authorities on them while in the hope that the public will notice the action of violence and find in it a spark for the crisis (Crenshaw, 2009, p. 31). For instance, McVeigh expected to prompt a revolt in the US with his attack on the federal office house in Oklahoma City. In the same way, Asahara Shoko hoped to spark violence between America and Japan with the sarin gas bomb in 1995 (Simon & Benjamin, 2000, p. 63). The trend of strategic motives pursued by new terror groups then appears like a continuation of Hoffman’s theory of traditional terrorism, Albert with some associations choosing out of the last two steps.

Source of Finances

The new terrorism is more different from the traditional style in the way it is financed. Unlike the old style of terrorism, new terror groups have continued to receive significant support from various states. Terror groups are shifting the source of their resources to planned violence and private financiers, and at the same time, the state financing remains vibrant (Nadkarni & Noonan, 2013, p. 65). The private financing of terror groups is also common in the contemporary terrorism. The former al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden was a financier of his group as well as other individual terrorists (Nadkarni & Noonan, 2013, p. 65). Whatever the source of income, an immense quantity of money apparently will be required for terror groups to get weapons of mass destruction. State financing is more comfortable for the terrorists to find than private sources of funds.

Middle East States are known are main financiers of terror groups such as al-Qaeda and al-Shaabab. Some researchers have declared from their findings that Eritrea financers of al-Shaabab sponsor the terror group in a trial to counter the regional power, Ethiopia which is Eritrea’s persisting enemy (Nadkarni & Noonan, 2013, p. 66). However, Eritrea has continuously rejected such allegations. From the reports, Eritrea supplies weapons, troops, and military training to fight alongside al-Shabaab terrorists. Additionally, a UN report claimed that the Eritrea administration sends $80,000 every month to some affiliates of the al-Shaabab via the Eritrean embassy in Nairobi, Kenya for almost a decade now (Smith, 2015, p. 76).

Qatar, Iran, Syria, and Yemen are also commonly alleged by the Somalia provisional administration of issuing weapons and finances to al-Shaabab. For example, in January of 2010, Sheikh Yusuf, Somalia provisional administration minister of defense gave a declaration that Yemen rebels had sent two boatloads of weapons, Kalashnikovs, ammunition and hand grenades to the terror group to enable it to control Kismayo port (Smith, 2015, p. 76). Later, United Nations reported that Muhammad Sa’iid, an al-Shaabab chief in Puntland, had been getting weapons deliveries from Eritrea and Yemen. Further, the Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia have stayed to be major exterior sponsors of money for the al-Shaabab association (Smith, 2015, p. 86). Saudi Arabia is also a significant sponsor of Salafi jihadists, a vibrant terror group in the Middle East.

Technology and Tactics

The variation of the contemporary terrorism to the old style has been accelerated by the use of advanced technology and skills. The presence of information is possibly not new and on bomb-making as well as terror violence tactics has been available in handbooks and other publications since the commencement of the 20th century (Smith, 2015, p. 77). The weapon of mass destruction (WMD) technology has commonly been used to facilitate terror attacks. The long-lasting and widespread impacts of the indiscriminate application of the WMD do pose a serious threat to humanity. Modern technology has been used significantly to facilitate contemporary terrorism. Technology is a primary resource in the modern society thus it is obvious that terrorism will draw some benefits from it (Smith, 2015, p. 76). The society today is very risky since terrorism is threatening people and cultures on an international scale, but inversely from the traditional style, it has come to a global dimension. On a regular basis, international alerts and warnings are given about probable terror violence in main cities.

Modern technology especially the internet has been used by terror groups for various reasons. For instance, the terrorist has made use of the internet to spread propaganda. Such a scenario was rare in the traditional terror attacks since the internet was not as developed as it is today. Fake information has been disseminated by terror groups on the internet to instill fear among people across the world (Smith, 2015, p. 78). The internet is used by militia groups to conduct recruitment and to do mobilization. The contemporary terrorism has become like a business where individuals are paid some amount of money to do an attack. Then, the most terror groups have been recruiting and mobilizing new members via the internet. For instance, al-Shaabab terror group which is based in Somalia has been hiring young individuals from the neighboring nations such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Eritrea via the use of the internet and social media platforms (Smith, 2015, p. 76). Most of the young individuals are university students who are driven into the militia group by good earnings. Psychological welfare, data mining, information collection, secure communications, cyber violence, software dissemination as well as the purchase of fake documents are other main activities done by terrorist groups via the internet.

The use of social media platforms by the terror groups is on the increase in the contemporary society. Terror associations apply the new social platforms such as Twitter, Whatsapp, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to complete various communications (Simon & Benjamin, 2000, p. 62). Most of the information posted on the social media by the terror groups is fake and is primarily meant to instill fear among people. Thus, the use of the emerged social media platforms makes the new terror attacks dissimilar from the ancient violence. The increased use of the social media platforms to convey messages and achieve their goals have been necessitated by the affordability and availability of these media. Social media is affordable and conveys messages instantly to every corner of the world (Simon & Benjamin, 2000, p. 62). In a research by the University of Haifa and Gabriel Weimann, it was found that about 90 percent of planned terrorism today occurs via the social media (Matusitz, 2013, p. 48). Weimann argued that the terror groups use the social media platforms to gather intelligence, recruit new affiliates and send messages. It was also mentioned that the theater of terror which militia men apply the media to promote the dramatic like nature of the planned violence.

Conclusion

The change of terrorism from old to new styles of violence is evident from various real-world examples and theories. The way in which terrorism is committed in the contemporary society differs from the traditional style. The major influencers of the variations are the emergence of new technology and religious inspiration. A firm believes existent in the past that terrorism was an act committed by Muslims. Today, more people across the world who believes in other religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, and Buddhism are also actors in terrorism. More people around the globe are attracted to the terror groups because of high incomes earned from these associations. Individuals are inspired more by various religions. Most of the terror groups have firmly believed in what they do and have turned merely into small religions. The emergence of new technology has facilitated the end of old style and the start of new terrorism. The internet is widely used by terrorist for various functions such as the spread of propaganda, recruitment of new affiliates, instill fear on people and in data mining. The social media platforms that are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Whatsapp, and YouTube are extensively used by terrorists due to their affordability, availability as well their rapid speed of information conveyance. The terror group in the contemporary society have become more potent as compared to the old style due to continuous support from various states and private sponsors.



References

Crenshaw, M., 2009. The debate over ‘new’ vs. ‘old’ terrorism. College Park, MD: National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

Crenshaw, M., 2011. Explaining terrorism: causes, processes, and consequences. London: Routledge.

Nacos, B. L., 2016 . Terrorism and counterterrorism. New York : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Duyvesteyn: I., 2004. How new is the New Terrorism? Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Taylor & Francis, Volume Vol 27, pp. 439-540.

Nadkarni, V. & Noonan, N. C., 2013. Emerging powers in a comparative perspective: the political and economic rise of the BRIC countries. New York: Bloomsbury,

Pisoiu, D. & Hain, S., 2017. Theories of terrorism: an introduction. Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge.

Richards, A., 2015. Conceptualizing terrorism. Oxford, United Kingdom; New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Simon, S. & Benjamin, D., 2000. America and the New Terrorism'. Survival, H.W. Wilson, Volume Vol 42, pp. 59-75.

Smith, P. J., 2015. The terrorism ahead: confronting transnational violence in the twenty-first century. London; New York: Routledge.

Matusitz, J. A., 2013. Terrorism & communication : a critical introduction. Los Angeles, Calif. ; London ; New Delhi : SAGE .