To narrow the scope, we will look at terrorists here in the USA and in the Middle East in the last twenty years or so. To answer this seemingly basic question, it is important to look at myths about terrorists in popular culture. Generally, people think of terrorists being from poor backgrounds with little education and nothing to live for. Some may say things like they hate us for our freedom or success. Terrorists want to impose their own ideologies on the rest of us. They are all extremists in one way or another both religious and political. If you want to get an idea of the popular notions of a terrorist today all you have to do is listen to a speech by President Bush. One can also look at the portrayal of terrorists in the movies or TV shows. They are heartless bad guys with no concern for life and no room for ambiguity about their actions. Instead of understanding the threats we face, we simplify them in easy sound bite sized good versus evil phrases. Someone who becomes a terrorist is much more complicated than oversimplified notions about terrorism.
Terrorism is according to the dictionary “the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.” Contrary to popular belief, there are a wide range of factors that can drive someone to use terrorist tactics. The person has a strong belief in something and sees no other way of getting attention to it other than using terrorism. A very important fact to consider when looking those who use terror as a tactic is none consider themselves to be extremists. One does not have to belong to a group to be a terrorist. Two of the most well known American terrorists acted alone.
The case of Eric Rudolph is a compelling example of domestic terror. He was fund guilty of the 1996 Olympic Games and several abortion clinic bombings. Several people were killed and scores more injured. Mr. Rudolph has a high school diploma and even some college, so he is not uneducated. It is also interesting to note he had some military training making it into the 101st Airborne before being discharged for drug use. Going by his reasons given for his bombings, he knows a great deal about the issues that drive him. After reading some of his writings it is very clear he feels very strongly abortion is murder with no room for argument. What is less clear is where he got these feelings from. An ultra-right Conservative Christian upbringing may be a good starting point to determine where his views came from. Mr. Rudolph sees the US government as sanctioning murder if the form of legal abortion clinics. In his view there is no room for debate and he sees his actions as an effort to save lives. He also says those in government have forfeited their right to govern based on this practice. In his statement after his sentencing, he compares himself to the founding fathers of the United States of America breaking away from England fighting tyranny. Mr. Rudolph does not come across as many might imagine someone using terrorist tactics. In his own way he sees himself as someone trying to save lives and he says he designed his bombs in the clinic bombings to keep loss of life to a minimum. However, he sees those who died as one might see casualties in a war, nothing personal but something that had to be done. Not to in any way defend his actions but when reading his material he comes across rationally. The story of Timothy McVeigh is similar.
Timothy McVeigh was convicted of blowing up the Murragh Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19th, 1995. Like Eric Rudolph he also had a high school diploma and pretty extensive military training in the US Army. According to his own writing the bombing was carried out in response to the incident in Waco, Texas involving the Branch Davidians in which 74 people died. Mr. McVeigh became a drifter doing odd jobs and following the gun show circuit after an Honorable Discharge from the Army. He was present at Waco during the standoff and saw the events there as a government out of control. He says he gave non violence a chance to right the wrongs but when nothing happened to those in government he felt were responsible, he decided to take matters into his own hands. The attack on the Federal Building he saw in the same context as the US Military attacking infrastructure targets on other countries. He had no sense of remorse for the lives lost. In his view, he saw himself as preventing another Waco by attacking the place such an operation would be controlled from. He claims to have taken lessons right from US foreign policy right down to calling innocent victims collateral damage. Far from considering himself a terrorist or mass murderer, he thought of himself as fighting an oppressive government. Both Mr. Rudolph and Mr. McVeigh share some common characteristics with the most famous terrorist in the world, Osama bin Laden but come nowhere near his level of destruction.
Bin Laden is far more educated than Mr. Rudolph or Mr. McVeigh and comes from an extremely wealthy and privileged family. Bin Laden attended university but there is some question he obtained a degree in urban engineering . His real area of study is more religious than anything else. Getting western military forces and influence out of the Moslem world are his goals. Bin Laden has large financial resources and operates on a world wide stage. He is a leader who unlike the two Americans has not personally carried out act of terror but has helped in the funding, planning and execution of terrorist acts the world over. Still, he shares some important characteristics with Mr. Rudolph and Mr. McVeigh. First, one could argue the two Americans are fighting for religious reasons (less so in the case of McVeigh) and it is certainly the case for bin Laden. Second, none of the three have any remorse for lost lives caused by their acts. They view them like casualties in a war. Bin Laden has nothing but distain for non-Muslim lives lost and thinks Muslims who lose their lives as victims of terror will be rewarded in heaven. Third, in the views of these men there is no room for debate or compromise. It has to be their way and their way only. They are all three far beyond any hope of working out a peaceful solution or addressing their concerns in a non-violent way. Lastly, they have a common enemy, the US Government. All three blame the US Government for oppression, murder, and suppressing freedom of others.
Terrorists are not the simple black and while figures TV and popular culture make them out to be. Often, their concerns may have merit and when they view these concerns as not being addressed or getting worse, they see violence against others as a reasonable alternative. With the attention acts of terror bring, it is understandable why. No terrorist has ever said they hate us for our freedom or success. When our leaders say things like this it does nothing to address the very real problem of modern day terrorism. Terrorists seek publicity for their actions. Eric Rudolph and Timothy McViegh are now house hold names here in the US but the concerns they were trying to address are lost in cries of murders, extremists and terrorists. The same is true with Osama bin Laden. All do far more harm to their causes than good. Those against abortion who are sincere in their beliefs and want to work constructively to end or minimize the practice in a peaceful way may now find themselves lumped together with the likes of Eric Rudolph. After the Oklahoma City bombing nothing has been done to right the wrongs and mistakes committed by the US Government at Ruby Ridge and Waco. By his actions bin Laden has guaranteed a western military presence in the middle east that if anything will only grow. For it’s part the US Government has only made the problem worse by elevating terrorism to new heights on the world stage. The 19 men who flew planes into the World Trade Center, Pentagon and A Pennsylvania field perpetrated an act of mass murder not an act of war. By calling it an act of war we have now given a hand full of individuals the status of another country. We can never fully eliminate terrorism but we can reduce it by fighting conditions that lead to hopelessness, and total suppression of unpopular ideas and by reducing the attention given to terrorists.
Internet Sources
http://www.armyofgod.com/EricRudolphHomepage.html
http://independence.net/okc/mcveighletterfox.htm
