Abstract
Terrorism is a policy based on the systematic use of terror. Despite the legal force of the term “terrorism,” its definition up to the present time remains ambiguous. But experts agree that the best definition of terrorism is the achievement of political, ideological, economic, and religious goals by violent means. Synonyms of the word “terror” are the words “violence” and “intimidation.” This term became widespread in various countries after the “Age of Terror” during the Great French Revolution. During the discussion about terrorism, one of the main directions of this phenomenon represents terrorist psychology. Thus, in the chapter, the main attention is paid to the psychological aspects of terrorism, including the determination of the main types of terrorism and the psychological characteristics of the terrorists and terrorist groups.
TopGenesis Of The Concept Of “Terrorism”, Classification Of Types Of Terrorism, And Methods Of Combating Them
Actual Problems of the Psychology of Terrorism
Throughout the history of its existence, humanity has faced various forms and manifestations of terrorism. This phenomenon reached a special scope in the late XX - early XXI century. Terrorist acts and sabotage, cruel in their manifestation, receive a wide resonance throughout the world, causing not only just public outrage but also serious fears for peace and security on the planet.
Terrorism violates the system of human legal protection, causes enormous damage to the stability of the world community, state interests, and in particular the prestige of the law enforcement system. At present, the problem of terrorism has again acquired relevance in connection with the emergence of a new large-scale terrorist group “The Islamic State”, which organized and carried out a whole series of terrorist acts around the world. Many Experts believe that terrorism is one of the key phenomena of the growing chaos and the end of history (in the sense of the end of the democratic system). Some Authors suggest that terrorism can be regarded as a form of economic, military, political, criminal, and other activities aimed at the implementation of certain tasks. From their point of view, terrorism has economic and religious roots. In addition to the forceful solution of issues related to terrorism, such sciences as psychology, philosophy, sociology, political science, and psychiatry are engaged in the study of this phenomenon. A terrorist act refers to “extreme”, “crisis”, “emergencies”, which are the subject of study of a new branch of psychology - the psychology of extreme situations. An integrated approach to the phenomenon of terrorism (considering the historical, political-economic, socio-psychological, psychiatric, and informational aspects) is just being formed. Despite the special relevance and practical need for study, the main problems of the psychology of terrorism are not sufficiently developed. So, until now, a clear definition of terrorism, both from a legal and social point of view, has not been formulated. However, “even at the first consideration of this complex and multifaceted phenomenon, one can single out: - individual, organized terror and terror as a policy of the state; - terror as a political method of struggle in peacetime and wartime; - terror as a method of internal political struggle and terrorist acts of international terror ”. The manifestations of terrorism entail massive human casualties, the destruction of spiritual, material, cultural values that cannot be recreated. Moreover, terrorism breeds hatred and mistrust between social and national groups.
Many researchers believe that the information and psychological component plays an important role in the problem of terrorism since its main goal is to create public panic or provoke mass irrational horror. However, the more urgent and obvious the problem is, the more myths and misunderstandings it is surrounded by. From the point of view of leading experts in terrorism, a terrorist act is one of the manifestations of an extreme situation arising because of “organized violence” committed by extremists, representatives of totalitarian regimes, adherents of various sects. This type of emergency also includes wars, genocide, armed clashes, persecution on political, religious, ethnic grounds, etc. harm and damage to the health of others.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Xenophobia: The suspicious dislike disrespect, and disregard for members of a foreign nationality ethnic or linguistic group.
Information Warfare: Attacks on an adversary’s telecommunications and computer networks to degrade the technological systems vital to its defense and economic well-being.
Smart Bombs: Precision-guided military technology that enables a bomb to search for its target and detonate at the precise time it can do the most damage.
Crimes Against Humanity: A category of activities, made illegal at the Nuremberg war crime trials, condemning states that abuse human rights.
Terrorism: Premediated violence perpetrated against noncombat targets by subnational or transnational groups or clandestine agents usually intended to influence an audience.
Ethno-Nationalist Terrorism: One of the most widespread types of terrorism. This is since ethnic nationalism has tremendous power and unpredictability, and ethnic conflicts have become a real problem for many countries, regions, and the entire world community. These conflicts are based on the contradiction between the recognition of the natural right of peoples to self-determination and the principle of national unity and territorial integrity of the state. The goal of ethnic terrorism is to defend and expand the rights of an ethnic group in the political sphere. When terrorists, using violence to assert ethnicity, call upon themselves the fire of state structures, it draws attention to the group and allows them to appear in the eyes of the public as a victim, which further increases public resonance, as well as provides financial and political support.
Political Terrorism: In a narrow sense, political terrorism means “a struggle aimed at preventing (or making) any decisions related to the state structure.” Social terrorism is formed based on deep internal socio-political conflicts and manifests itself in two main forms: left and right terrorism. Left-wing terrorism is ideologically oriented towards various left-wing doctrines (Marxism, Leninism, Trotskyism, anarchism, Guevarism, Maoism, etc.) parties.
Cyberspace: A metaphor used to describe the global electronic web of people, ideas, and interactions on the Internet, which is unencumbered by the borders of the geopolitical world.
Info War-Tactics: Attacks on an adversary’s telecommunications and computer networks to penetrate and degrade an enemy whose defense capabilities depend heavily on these technological systems.
Failed States: Countries whose governments have so mismanaged policy that their citizens in rebellion, threaten revolution to divide the country into separate independent states.
Asymmetric Warfare: Armed conflict between belligerents of vastly unequal military strength, in which the weaker side is often a nonstate actor that relies on unconventional tactics.
International Terrorism: The threat or use of violence as a tactic of terrorism against targets in other countries.