2.3.1. Terrorist Actions and Tactics

 Read the text below about the actions and tactics of terrorism. Study the target vocabulary words in bold by checking their meaning in the list below.

NB: If you need to refer to the Reading text 2.3.1., you can open it in a new browser window.

By definition, terrorists accepted a philosophical, religious, or political basis for their actions, and thus they have strategic goals to achieve. The methods by which these goals are reached, or at least approached, are the tactics of terrorists. These tactics are designed to gain as much media attention as possible through intimidation and fear, while at the same time enhancing the group’s stature in its theater of political operation.

Bomb attacks, hostage taking, hijacking, kidnapping, and similar types of assaults have been the traditional tactics of terrorists. Domestic terrorists, the so-called New Age terrorists of the twenty-first century, have to some extent taken a step backward from the violent confrontational tendencies of their predecessors.

The new groups now engage in such activities as arson, vandalism, and theft in the conduct of their eco terrorism, bioterrorism, animal rights terrorism, and cyber terrorism.

On the other hand, American jihadists tend to favour bombs, armed assaults, and similar confrontational tactics.The bomb remains the weapon of choice among terrorists on the international level, both for the anonymity it affords operatives and the amount of media attention an explosion garners.

Hostage taking, warehousing of hostages, and other incidents involving hostages are tactics that may be used by terrorists to attempt to coerce governments or private companies to act in a certain way, desist from certain actions, or modify a specific point or subject.

Aircraft hijackings of the type we witnessed throughout the 1970s and1980s, in which aircraft are left intact and passengers held as hostages, have disappeared due to the enhanced security procedures that have been implemented in major airports around the globe. Nonetheless, the potential exists for this type of action to occur, even in the age of heightened security precautions.

The threatened use of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists is still very real. These types of attacks might take the form of “dirty bombs” using toxic biological agents such as anthrax or chemicals such as ricin, as well as nuclear material to attack crowds of people or even entire cities.

Acts of sabotage are intentional destruction of property and disruption of an industrial or governmental operation by means other than an explosive device. These include break-ins or other illegal entries designed to harass or intimidate the owners or occupants of the premises. Computer hacking, electronic attacks against a website, and disruption of network servers or other communications are other examples of sabotage, as are simple arson and various attacks staged by eco terrorists, animal rights activists, and antiabortion extremists. More traditional incidents include damaging power transmission lines and oil pipelines.

Subversion is a systemic attempt to undermine a society. The ultimate objective is the total collapse of the state as a result of bringing its governing administration into disrepute, causing a loss of confidence in the ruling establishment’s institutions and government and provoking a breakdown of law and order.

Assassination is a specialized form of assault that has been proven to be a very effective terrorist tool. It is the ultimate weapon of intimidation against target communities. These attacks are designed to gain maximum media attention as well as to have a major psychological impact on the organization the victim represented.

Source: Bolz, Jr. F., Dudonis, K., Shulz, D. (1998). The Counterterrorism Handbook: Tactics, Procedures, and Techniques. CRC Press, Tylor&Francis Group

Target Vocabulary

• enhance /inˈhæns/ v. to improve the quality, amount, or strength of something
• stature /ˈstætʃə^r/n. the good reputation a person or organization has, based on their behaviour and ability
• theater of operations – the part of a theater of war in which active combat operations are conducted
• hostage /ˈhɒstɪdʒ/​ n. a person who is captured and held prisoner by a person or group, and who may be injured or killed if people do not do what the person or group is asking
• hijacking /ˈhaɪdʒækɪŋ/ n. the use of violence or threats to take control of a vehicle, especially a plane, in order to force it to travel to a different place or to demand something from a government
• kidnapping /ˈkɪdnæpɪŋ/ n. the crime of taking somebody away illegally and keeping them as a prisoner, especially in order to get money or something else for returning them
• assault /əˈsɔːlt/ n. the act of attacking a building, an area, etc. in order to take control of it
• arson /ˈɑːsn/ ​n. the crime of deliberately setting fire to something, especially a building
• garner /ˈɡɑːnə(r)/ v. to obtain or collect something such as information, support, etc.
• warehousing /ˈweəhaʊzɪŋ/ n. ​the practice of putting people in large prisons, hospitals, etc. without trying to help them
• desist /dɪˈsɪst/ (from) v. to stop doing something, e.g. The soldiers have been ordered to desist from firing their guns.
• precaution /prɪˈkɔːʃən/ n. something that is done to try and protect a person or thing from something dangerous or harmful
• sabotage /ˈsæbə.tɑːʒ/ n. to damage or destroy equipment, weapons, or buildings in order to prevent the success of an enemy or competitor
  
• disruption /dɪsˈrʌp.ʃən/ n. the action of preventing something, especially a system, process, or event, from continuing as usual or as expected
• harass /həˈræs/ v. to annoy or trouble someone repeatedly
• subversion /səbˈvɜː.ʃən/ n. the act of trying to destroy or damage an   established system or government
• disrepute /ˌdɪsrɪˈpjuːt/ n. the state of no being trusted or respected
• assassination /əˌsæsɪˈneɪʃən/ n. the murder of someone famous or important