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| Definitions of Terrorist
and Terrorism |
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| What falls within the definition
of terrorism and who is a terrorist? This question becomes relevant
in the wake of many acts of aggression and violence that are suffered
by different groups of people around the world. When we examine some
of these cases of aggression and violence and the various opinions
that are expressed by those directly involved and other observing
groups, it becomes a little tricky sometimes to identify who exactly
is the terrorist and what constitutes an act of terrorism. A good
case in point is that of the Israelis and the Palestinians. (The Israelis
like to describe the Palestinians and their leader, Yasser Arafat
as terrorists, while the Palestinians say that it is the Israelis
who have forcibly occupied their land for over thirty-five years are
the real terrorists, and that all they are doing is trying to defend
themselves). |
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| A number of times, the United States has
been labeled a "terrorist State" because of its foreign
policy and the active role she plays in the running of other countries
around the world. (Osama bin Ladin's Al-Qaida network was formed for
many reasons among which was to fight against the presence of the
US military in Saudi-Arabia which bin Laden thought was unacceptable
to Islamic culture and tradition). This coupled with the general resentment
against the US bias in the Middle-East crises as she takes side with
Israel were among the factors that probably led to the events of 9-11-2001.
This is not to suggest that the 9-11-2001 attacks are justified, but
it does prompt us to think about the ethical issues of aggression
and violence and the defense strategies that some individuals and/or
governments around the world adopt. Besides, we have the more obvious
ethical issues such as the pain and suffering of innocent civilians,
the rise in the numbers of refugees and all the cases of hunger and
disease that go along with them. Read opinions about whether the US
is a terrorist state at these websites: |
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| http://saloon.javaranch.com/32/001249.html
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