Forum (Spotlight Weekly)

The Development Of Modern Terrorism

By Booz Ganor

In the past, terrorists tried to influence decision-makers and their policies through a policy known as individualized terrorismópolitical assassinations and other direct action against government personnel. The assassinations were an effective means —particularly in authoritarian regimes — to replace government leaders and bring about changes in policy. However, due both to the process of modernization and to the spread of democracy, violent political organizations have had to adapt their tactics to a changing environment. Rather than acting against policy-makers directly, they began to focus on pressuring public opinion and spreading fear among citizens with the aim of achieving their political objectives.

This type of terrorism — indiscriminate terrorism — owes its development to a number of technological innovations, which, in the twentieth century, provided fruitful ground for the spread of modern terrorism. Modern terrorism grew in step with the development of innovative weapons and modern means of transportation. Innovations in weapons technology has made lethal weapons smaller and more portable, and much more difficult to detect. Mass transportation has become faster, yet more vulnerable. Commercial air transport has come to be seen as the "soft underbelly" of the transport industry, offering many opportunities for attack by terrorists, while by the same token, providing a swift means of escape for perpetrators of attacks. But most of all, modern terrorism has profited from the development and spread of modern mass media, and electronic communications, in particular. Of foremost importance is television. The facility for live broadcasts and the transfer of information in real time, and in color, via satellite all over the world, along with the multiplicity of communications channels — and the competition among them — have provided modern terrorists with useful tools for "selling their message." They can carry out horrific attacks and transmit their message to the general public with great speed and emphasis. The spread of liberal, democratic values — freedom of expression, freedom to organization, the right to individual self-determination, and the emphasis on the value of human life — have also influenced the development and characteristics of terrorists' activities. When forced to deal with terrorism, liberal-democratic countries actually find themselves facing an almost impossible dilemma; on the one hand they are obligated to safeguard the security and well-being of their citizens. On the other hand, they must preserve the democratic values and universal humane values on which they are predicated. Taking stern steps against those who perpetrate acts of terrorism and their commanders could be harmful to the values of democracy, while diligently maintaining the values of democracy could lead to the continuation of terrorist attacks, to public anger, and, eventually, to the rise of a dictatorship that promises "to put an end to terrorism once and for all." The democratic states must therefore find the golden means, acting effectively against terrorist organizations, without harming democratic values.

The Media : Much has been said about the connection between terrorism and the media. There are those who claim that indiscriminate terrorism could not have come into the world without media coverage, or at least could not have reached such serious proportions. There is, at any rate, a close reciprocal relationship between terrorist organizations and the media; the terrorist organizations need the media to broadcast their opinions, to pass on messages to public opinion, and to sow fear and anxiety among the public. The media, meanwhile, thrives on events that captivate the public, sell newspapers, and raise the ratings of broadcasting stations.

Modern terrorism, as opposed to classical terrorism, does not aim to influence decision-makers directly, the way the old individualized terrorism did, by the liquidation of leaders, or by direct threats against opponents. Modern terrorism indiscriminately targets civilians, in order to convey the message to TV viewers and newspaper readers that the danger of terrorism is lying in wait for them — that they may well be the next victims.

In national terms, the physical damage from a single terrorist attack is usually relatively small (in comparison, for example, with road accidents), but the damage to public morale is heavier in the case of a terrorist attack. Terrorist organizations have assigned the media a key role in increasing this damage. Aware of the importance of media coverage, terrorists direct their activities in such a way as to attract maximum media attention. The location and type of attack, its character, its timing, and they way in which responsibility is claimed are all given careful consideration to ensure maximum coverage.

In their efforts to ensure media coverage, terrorist organizations sometimes choose to carry out attacks at events attended by a high concentration of media. Abu Iyyad, Yasser Arafat's former deputy, explained that the decision to carry out the attack at the Munich Olympics was taken in order "to exploit the extraordinary concentration of mass media in Munich to give our struggle international reverberations — whether positive or negative, It didn't matter." (Emphasis added).

Sometimes organizations invite the media to the site of an attack or demand press interviews during a hostage situation. In a few cases around the world, terrorist organizations have taken over radio and television stations with the aim of forcing them to pass on the terrorists' message to the public.

The strategy of modern terrorism is supported by the existence and activity of the electronic and written media. A terrorist attack is aimed, first and foremost, at the media. It is intended to draw the attention of journalists — to grab news headlines or television airtime. Media exposure is supposed to transmit the terrorist organization's message to the general public, inspire fear and anxiety among citizens, and put pressure on decision-makers to give in to the terrorists' demands. This method of operation runs like a crimson thread through the activities of most terrorist organizations around the world, no matter what their political goals.

(Experts of the article published in the International Policy Institute for Counter Terrorism, Isreal)