Virtual Environments, Crime And Cyberspace

Question: How have historical, political and technological developments influenced our understanding and analysis of terrorism, as well as changed the tactics and strategies of both terrorist groups and counter-terrorist agencies.

This essay will explore the major developments that have influenced the understanding of terrorism. This will include examples of historical, political and technological transformations. Another theme throughout this essay will be the consideration of how these factors have changed the methods and strategies of both insurgent groups and counter-insurgent agencies. The word terrorism is a term which can be defined or described in many different ways. There is not a single definition that is universally accepted, rather a variety of explanations that are constantly debated. This essay is designed to focus on the developments and understandings of terrorism rather than the actual concept or static definition. However, it is important to lay some kind of a foundation to work from specifically in the form of Law`s (2009) assertion that: "terrorism is a tactic, a means to an end" (Law, 2009:3) Moreover he notes that terrorism is a premeditated, politically motivated violent attack that can target civilians, governments or military personnel. It is clear that many authors actively dissuade from labeling terrorism in concrete words as it is impossible to accurately define such a contested subject matter. Nevertheless, a major point substantially agreed regarding terrorism is that the strategies, weapons and aims of terrorists continually change, but core elements have endured since the earliest times (Law, 2009). Hamm (2007) argues that a common misconception about terrorism is that it began with the 9/11 attacks in New York and has only developed from then until present day. He continues by arguing that the breadth and depth of terrorism far outweighs the culturally imperceptive view that terrorism has only been formulated in the last thirty years and encompasses only radical Islamists. This essay will look to incorporate historical evidence to accurately convey the origins of terrorism and just how much it has developed over time, altering the way in which it is now carried out and counteracted.

Acts of terror can be traced as far back as the Ancient World before the Common Era. These acts predate the actual coining of the word terrorism by many hundreds of years. As far back as ninth century BCE the Assyrians used terror tactics to govern and control their empire using torture and killing of people who revolted or resisted (Law, 2009). This is an example of ruling powers use of terror to maintain dominance over a populace although this led to acts against the ruler known in ancient times as tryannicide. According to Law (2009) sometimes in ancient times it was deemed necessary to kill a ruler and was therefore called tyrannicide as in the murder of a tyrant. These actions were not regarded as criminal rather necessary applications of violence to alter or protect a society from an illegitimate ruler. Law also presents information that highlights political terror and practice of virtuous killings figured visibly in both Christian Europe and the Islamic society. The word `terrorism` was coined by Edmund Burke in 1773 after he wrote extensively about the French revolution and some of the atrocities that occurred there. It is apparent that terrorism throughout history has been predominantly politically motivated; furthermore frequently associated with revolution. What is illustrated from the evidence above is that terrorism in early historical periods up until and even in the last century has been predominantly internally based political struggles within a country; either through controlling powers using terror tactics to dictate a population or, revolutionary causes attempting to overthrow the ruling elite. Only in the last fifty years has transnational terrorism emerged as the prevailing form of insurgency. However it could be argued that this is not because terrorism has increased in recent history; rather terrorism plays center stage to the worlds view through advanced technology allowing for amplified portrayals through governments, politics, the internet and the mass media. Having briefly looked at historical origins of terrorism the second section of this essay will continue with the transformations of insurgency tactics and strategies.