Terrorist Strategies - Annotated Bibliography Example

Letschert, R. and Dijk, J. (2011). The new faces of victimhood: Globalization, transnational crimes and victim rights. New York, NY: Springer. Globalization, despite its numerous advantages is impacting negatively on the world, through creating victims, including those of crimes. Crime, which was traditionally an internal country affair has now gone to a whole new level, with the concept of transnational crime coming into place after globalization, where the crime in one part of the world is subsequently affecting other regions, or even the whole world. Terrorism is such one concept, where the terrorists are not only targeting their perceived enemies, but also their sympathizers and interests elsewhere. This tactic is a part of the wider provocative strategy approach, where the terrorist are provoking their perceived enemies and targets through indirect means, such as attacking their sympathizers and interests, as opposed to attacking the perceived enemy directly. The provocative strategy has now created a state of global insecurity. The relevance of this source is that; it looks into the issue of terrorism and terrorist strategies from a wider perspective, through assessing how terrorism and its strategies have affected the world. Further, this source is relevant for the study, since it evaluates the concept of globalization and its relationship with terrorism, especially regarding how globalization has assisted the provocative terrorist strategy approach. Al Qaeda's New Strategies: Challenge and Response. (2005). American Foreign Policy Interests, 27(2), 149-151. Since the September 11 attack on the USA, terrorists have been trying to devise further strategies that will deliver a similar attack amidst the existing difficulties, owing to the fact that the USA has been proactive in its fight against terrorism and has been actively involved in thwarting any attempts by the terrorists. The new strategy now seeks to provoke the Muslim world against the western world, through making terrorism appear like a Muslim affair, instead of an isolated extremist affair. The application of this strategy that seeks to suddenly change the perception of the war against terror from the initial bold and courageous appearance of the terrorists threatening and provoking their targets, to a more ambushing strategy, where the terrorists are operating as soldiers without uniform, from no specified location. The relevance of this source is that; it presents a new face of terrorism tactics, which is mainly centered on presenting terrorism as a classic conflict between the Muslim world and the western world. This source therefore serves to encourage the researcher to look at the whole issue of terrorism and terrorists’ strategy differently, through applying the reversal methodology, to pitch the west against the Muslim world, as opposed to a direct confrontation of the terrorists and the west. Michael, G. (2009). Adam Gadahn and Al-Qaeda's Internet Strategy. Middle East Policy, 16(3), 135-152. The Al-Qaeda's Internet Strategy, to provoke and impose its political influence on its perceived enemies has moved a notch higher, after Adam Gadahn, an American, joined the terrorist group and helped the group advance its internet strategy, to provoke the USA and its interests and influence them psychologically. In a videotape released in 2004, he appears under a changed name, and assures the US of more assaults. The relevance of this source for the study is that; it helps to understand how the internet is being used as part of the wider provocative strategy approach by terrorists, to provoke and influence their perceived enemies. Jacobs, A. (October 24, 2006). ‘What Drives Jihad? (Interview with ex-Terrorist Tawfik Hamid)’. International Jewish News. Retrieved February 8, 2014 from http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1725359/posts Indoctrination of extremists starts as early as when children are eight-years old, and the subsequent attempt to transform such people to view the world otherwise when they become adults, is a hard task, and most of the times almost impossible. Tawfik Hamid learnt that only through dying as a martyr does one get a ticket to paradise when he was still a child, and that gave him the drive to commit any form of terrorism as long as it was done in the name of fighting for the religion. The relevance of this primary source of information on terrorism to the subject is the fact that; it provides the background of terrorist thoughts, reasoning, motivation and drives, enabling the researcher to understand the subsequent strategies that the terrorist employs to achieve their course. Post, J.M., Sprinzak, E. & Denny, L.M. (2002). The terrorists in their own words: Interviews with 35 incarcerated Middle East Terrorists. George Town University. Provocation strategy is a major terrorist strategy to influence the psychology and decision-making of the targets. The major premise, upon which the strategy derives, is religious fundamentalism, which is then applied to gain commitment of the group, act as a source of power and rationalize and justify acts of terror. The relevance of this source to the subject is that it presents the actual strategy applied in the manner it is applied from the words of terrorists themselves, while also explaining the justification for the terrorism cause. Blanchard, C. M. (November 16, 2004). Al Qaeda: Statements and Evolving Ideology. CRS Report for Congress. The extensive use of media campaigns by the Al Qaeda through internet postings, audio release, video recordings and faxed statements has served as a major provocative approach strategy for the terrorist group to reach the targeted authorities and deliver its political messages. Media campaigns have served as the main public relations tool for the Al Qaeda ever, since its inception and they have always served the provocative intention sought. The importance of this primary source, in inform of a report, is to present the channels through which different terrorist strategies are executed. Thus this source does not only explain the provocative strategy applied by the Al Qaeda, but also the channels through which the strategy is executed. Stern, J. (April 25, 2013). ‘Brief Interviews with Hideous Terrorists: What it's like to sit and talk with jihadists, neo-Nazis, and lone-wolf killers.’ FP. Retrieved February 8, 2014 from http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/04/25/what_its_like_to_talk_to_a_terrorist The interviews brings out the chilling revelations of why the terrorists do what they do, while disclosing the strategies applied to turn a boy into a terrorist overnight. The interviews reveal that the motivation for different terrorists to do what they do vary, with some seeking to please God, others seeking to cleanse the earth, while yet others are simply led by irredentism. The relevance of this primary source of information regarding terrorists is that; it reveals the reasons behind the war of mind in the terrorists’ minds, while bringing to the fore, why they do what they do. According to this source, others are paid to engage, while others are blackmailed. Others are recruited, while others recruit themselves. In all these circumstances, the researcher gains a deeper understanding of the terrorism from the participants themselves. Ciovacco, C. J. (2009). The Contours of Al Qaeda's Media Strategy. Studies In Conflict & Terrorism, 32(10), 853-875. A successful media strategy crafted by the Al-Qaeda has served it well in implementing its provocative strategy, and it has emerged as adeptly suitable to continue the fight for war of ideas with the USA. The use of technology and innovations has seen the strategy emerge as a successful media campaign, which is highly influencing the targets. The relevance of this source in the study is that; it assesses the application of media as a channel through which the provocative strategy by the terrorists is successful, while providing a link between the provocative strategy and the media strategy. Stakelbeck, E. (June 03, 2010). ‘Ex-Terrorist Takes CBN News Inside Al Qaeda.’ CBN News. Retrieved February 8, 2014 from http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/march/ex-terrorist-gives-cbn-glimpse-inside-al-qaeda/ The provocative strategy applied by the Al Qaeda is effective, mostly because they do not care how many innocent lives are lost in the cause of their delivering a political message. The interview with Noman Benotman, a former terrorist who had interacted face-to-face with Osama Bin Laden, reveals that his strategy was the insistence on inflicting pain to his enemies, until they buy the message being delivered. The relevance of this source is that; it enables the researcher understand the strategy applied by terrorists from the account of a participant, as well as from the perspective of the highest leader. Michel, L., Herbeck, D., & McVeigh, T. (2001). American terrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City bombing. New York, NY: Regan Books. Terrorists strategies are planned well in advance and they can even last for years before their actual execution. The surge of anti-government extremism, and the path that the terrorists use to convert a decorated US solder into an extremely dangerous terrorist are indications of a well refined terrorist strategy. The transformation of McVeigh and his role in the Oklahoma City bombing is part of a wider of internal provocative strategy. The use of internal government individuals is a strategy seeking to provoke the target from within, especially through using some of its trusted and honored confidants, to present a message that terrorism is a wider net capable of trapping even closer to the enemies’ door steps. This resource is important for the study, because it serves to present a different angle of the provocative strategy applied by the terrorists; the inside provoker strategy. This source takes the researcher through the process of transformation, which sees the unsuspected operatives deliver a horrifying attack. Read More