What causes people to become terrorists?

[Polaris]

What causes people to start terror campaigns? What causes them to join? In other words, why do people become terrorists?

 

[Tmy]

They become terrorists cause they are mad about somthing.

 

[HeavyAaron]

As with all "professions" I would imagine the reasons vary on an individual level.

Still, I'm with TMY... got to be mad about something.

Aaron

 

[andyandy]

It's all GWB's fault!

what's that? there was terrorism before 2000?

well.....i'm sure he's got something to do with it.....

seriously,

religion or nationalism.....

 

[brodski]

It's all GWB's fault!

what's that? there was terrorism before 2000?

well.....i'm sure he's got something to do with it.....

seriously,

religion or nationalism.....

I blame violence on TV.

 

[slingblade]

Anger, frustration, hopelessness, and fear, all mixed together and allowed to seethe for generations.

On the other side must first be a system of persons who have brought these factors together in certain of the populace by ignoring, disregarding, disrespecting, and disenfranchising said populace, until all they can feel is (see above), and eventually react. Usually violently, and literally explosively.

That Ghandi was an exception is more the pity for us all.

 

[HeavyAaron]

On the other side must first be a [perceived] system of persons who have brought these factors together in certain of the populace by ignoring, disregarding, disrespecting, and disenfranchising said populace, until all they can feel is (see above), and eventually react. Usually violently, and literally explosively.

Now I can agree with you.

Aaron

 

[demon]

Polaris:
"What causes people to start terror campaigns? What causes them to join? In other words, why do people become terrorists?"

You could do worse than study the foundation of Israel...a sate born from the womb of terrorism and Israel has shown the world that terrorism works.

Hell, Binyamin Netanyahu (who could well be back in power in Israel soon) and his right wing-nut mates were celebrating the terrorist attack on The King David Hotel which killed 92 people by the Irgun terrorist group (led by Menachem Begin, future Israeli Prime Minister) just a month or so ago.

 

[Tony]

What causes people to start terror campaigns? What causes them to join? In other words, why do people become terrorists?

The tactic is irrelevant. A "terrorist" is a guerrilla/militant/militia man that uses a specific tactic. The question then becomes, why do people become guerrillas/militants/militia men? I'd say it's because (and this is a short answer) of oppression real or perceived combined with the feeling that violence is the only way to solve the problem.

 

[Tony]

You could do worse than study the foundation of Israel...a sate born from the womb of terrorism and Israel has shown the world that terrorism works.

Hell, Binyamin Netanyahu (who could well be back in power in Israel soon) and his right wing-nut mates were celebrating the terrorist attack on The King David Hotel which killed 92 people by the Irgun terrorist group (led by Menachem Begin, future Israeli Prime Minister) just a month or so ago.

Can you support this? I'd like to read more about it.

 

[demon]

Which part Tony? The "celebration"?
If so, have a look here:

quote;
British anger at terror celebration
By Ned Parker and Stephen Farrell

The commemoration of Israeli bombings that killing 92 people has caused offence
AS ISRAEL wages war against Hezbollah “terrorists” in Lebanon, Britain has protested about the celebration by right-wing Israelis of a Jewish “act of terrorism” against British rule 60 years ago this week.

The rightwingers, including Binyamin Netanyahu, the former Prime Minister, are commemorating the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, the headquarters of British rule, that killed 92 people and helped to drive the British from Palestine.

They have erected a plaque outside the restored building, and are holding a two-day seminar with speeches and a tour of the hotel by one of the Jewish resistance fighters involved in the attack.

Simon McDonald, the British Ambassador in Tel Aviv, and John Jenkins, the Consul-General in Jerusalem, have written to the municipality, stating: “We do not think that it is right for an act of terrorism, which led to the loss of many lives, to be commemorated.”

In particular they demanded the removal of the plaque that pays tribute to the Irgun, the Jewish resistance branch headed by Menachem Begin, the future Prime Minister, which carried out the attack on July 22, 1946...

Full report here:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-2277717,00.html

 

[TragicMonkey]

Lack of empathy. You have to be able to divide the world into "us" and "them", and not waste a single instant thinking about "their" point of view. In fact, you have to regard "them" as not human, not like "us".

Which just makes it even funnier when people insist the best way to fight terrorism is to think the same way.

 

[Tony]

Lack of empathy. You have to be able to divide the world into "us" and "them", and not waste a single instant thinking about "their" point of view. In fact, you have to regard "them" as not human, not like "us".

Which just makes it even funnier when people insist the best way to fight terrorism is to think the same way.

It's the mind-set I described in this post:

It's the right-wing mind set. The thought is that if you bomb/attack someone, you'll get them to cave to your demands, but if someone bombs/attacks you, you'll never cave to their demands. The right-wingers in Al Quaeda and other terrorist organizations think this way, and so do the right-wingers of America. They are two sides of the same coin, and that, is a large part of the problem.

 

[Tmy]

Im sure we could all think of situations that would personally drive you to become a terrorist. Family being murdered by group X for example.

 

[Cleon]

The tactic is irrelevant. A "terrorist" is a guerrilla/militant/militia man that uses a specific tactic.

I was going to point out something very similar--this is a very important point. "Terrorism" is not an ideology, belief, or set of beliefs. You won't find someone knocking at your door to try and convert you to Terrorism. You won't find someone hawking newspapers that explain the Terrorist opinion of current events or Terrorist philosophy.

Terrorism is a specific military tactic or strategy--nothing more, nothing less.

The question then becomes, why do people become guerrillas/militants/militia men? I'd say it's because (and this is a short answer) of oppression real or perceived combined with the feeling that violence is the only way to solve the problem.

I would say the logical question is not why do people join/form armed militia groups, but why do said groups adopt terrorist tactics? I would say it's one or more of the following:

1. Don't have the capacity to go after "regular" armed forced
2. The perception that the civilians of the country they're fighting against are at least partially responsible for whatever they're fighting against
3. The blurring of the line between "civilian" and "soldier"--such as countries with a universal draft or citizen militias
4. To gain more attention for the cause

Notice I leave out "because they're evil." I know the Administration likes to blow that particular horn quite a bit, but for a rational investigation of the subject that's not really useful. "Evil" itself is a rather vague term.

 

[demon]

TMY:
"Im sure we could all think of situations that would personally drive you to become a terrorist. Family being murdered by group X for example."

Oh, an apologist for terrorism!
Get the jungle drums out...call Mycroft, Amateur Scientist, Zilla, the whole goddamn JREF Special Airbourne Division!

 

[fuelair]

Polaris:
"What causes people to start terror campaigns? What causes them to join? In other words, why do people become terrorists?"

You could do worse than study the foundation of Israel...a sate born from the womb of terrorism and Israel has shown the world that terrorism works.

Hell, Binyamin Netanyahu (who could well be back in power in Israel soon) and his right wing-nut mates were celebrating the terrorist attack on The King David Hotel which killed 92 people by the Irgun terrorist group (led by Menachem Begin, future Israeli Prime Minister) just a month or so ago.

and, I admit I would have had all the Irgun shot as murderers.

 

[fuelair]

TMY:
"Im sure we could all think of situations that would personally drive you to become a terrorist. Family being murdered by group X for example."

Oh, an apologist for terrorism!
Get the jungle drums out...call Mycroft, Amateur Scientist, Zilla, the whole goddamn JREF Special Airbourne Division!

Depends on what group X is and whether it is a actually a murder but given answers to that I might well support it - but that would logically stop at getting the group X who did it and the ones, if any, who ordered it. Beyond exact and specific retribution, they become terrorists and deserve no mercy.

 

[Tricky]

Maybe the question you should ask yourself is, what would it take for you to become a terrorist. I can definintely think of some scenarios where a situation was so bad that I would do anything to try to change it. I'd like to believe that "anything" would involve more thought and cleverness than it would be to strap explosives to my body, but I can't say how I'd act with such limited resources as terrorists have.

For me, it would take a total removal of my freedom for me to become a terrorist. And even then... well... read my sig.

 

[demon]

fuelair, just out of interest, what would you have done with the ANC for example?