Domestic Terrorism

Terrorism has not made a lasting impact on Americans until September 11, 2001. Since 9/11, research on terrorism has been increasing and it had been determined that terrorism is a complex area. So law enforcement needs to be educated on the different aspects of terrorism. Since September 11th, local, state, and federal law enforcement have made changes to become more effective in detecting terrorists and deterring attacks. They have adopted new methods, expanded on their equipment, and even extended communication to other agencies. Law enforcement in federal, state and local levels have been preparing, getting educated and learning new ways to protect the community from terrorists.

Domestic terrorism refers any forcefulness act exerted on the civilian population or the infrastructure of a particular nation. Mostly domestic terrorism is done by the citizens of the nation with the intention of coercing, intimidating the national policy. A lone wolf terrorist is a situation where a citizen performs a forceful act supporting or basing on ideology and beliefs of certain movements or groups. One person alone without any command or assistances does a lone terrorist from the group.

A great terror struck our nation September 11, 2001, two aircraft’s hit the world trade centers, killing 2000 people and injuring over twice as many. A third aircraft flew into the Pentagon while a fourth crashed in a rural area in Pennsylvania. This day will forever be engrained into history as one of the worst terror attacks faced in this nation. Nearly three years later, in an attempt to figure out what happened on that tragic day, scholars came together to discuss the possible parallels between foreign and domestic terrorist. The author, Michael Kimmel, outlines the possible cause of the 2001 attacks and offers us a link between both foreign and domestic terrorism. Kimmel's essay is effectively written using ethos, logos, and pathos.

I wanted to learn about domestic terrorism incidents and what separates domestic terrorism from international terrorism. The term of domestic terrorism seems to have changed in recent years from those with anti-government views like Timothy McVeigh and the Weather Underground to include those with beliefs of international terror groups such as the Boston Marathon Bombers and Fort Hood shooter. I felt somewhat unsure as to if suspects like the Boston Marathon Bombers fit the category of domestic terrorism or international terrorism, and I now feel as if I have a much better understanding of terrorism terms. I would have liked to explore more topics related to how we can better detect and prevent possible domestic terrorists and homegrown violent

As humans, fear is nearly inevitable. We all experience it one point or another in our lives, some more than others. However, what happens when a fear gets out of hand? Or worse, when this fear is instilled in a whole group of people? This situation, known as mass hysteria, is clearly depicted in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. The people of Salem were essentially engulfed by the fear of witches, causing them to behave in many irrational ways. Although mass hysteria affected these fictional characters, its effects are all too real in life today. Such effects include the aftermath that followed the September 11th terrorist attacks. One thing both The Crucible and post 9/11 have in common: they feared the unknown.

In “Perspectives on the Presidency” from The Presidency in a Separated System, Charles O. Jones argues that the United States government is not merely influenced and led by the president. Jones argues in favor of the United States having a separated system, rather than a presidential system. In this separated system, the role of the president varies, depending on resources and strategy. Jones proceeds to discuss two types of perspectives of the president; the Dominant Perspective and the Alternative Perspective. In the Dominant Perspective, political parties are stronger than they normally are in a system of separated elections, the opposing party acts as a critic of the party in power, and the president is, idealistically, aggressive. However,

Every American knows of the horrifying terror attacks that took place on September 11th, 2001, in New York and Washington, DC. The terrorist organization al Qaeda hijacked four airlines and flew two of them into the World Trade Center in New York, and one of them into the Pentagon in Washington.The fourth plane was stopped mid ­flight by its brave passengers and did not reach its intended target. Innocent civilians were now the casualties of war waged by an extremist muslim terrorist group based out of Afghanistan. The United States had never witnessed any terrorist attack of this size on its own soil previous to 2001. This was a day that American citizens would remember forever, not only because of the events themselves, but because of the

One of the major reasons why defining domestic terrorism has proved difficult is because different agencies approach terrorism with their different interpretations (White, 2013). The difference between the various definitions of domestic terrorism lies within the various descriptions given about terrorists’ motivations. White (2013) classified domestic terrorism as either those that are politically motivated or others that attempt greater specificity. It is however difficult to establish and define the motivations of terrorists. It is therefore necessary do in-depth analysis on terrorists’ motivation because their purpose reflects the methods and targets the terrorists are most likely to select.

On September 11, 2001 four U.S. planes were hijacked by the terrorist group, al-Qaeda, and were used as weapons of mass destruction in a suicide terrorist attack which targeted four separate U.S. locations. Over 3,000 people died, more than 6,000 people were injured and there was over $10 billion dollars in damage, to property in the United States. These occurrences which took place on September 11, 2001 were among the most devastating hits to the United States in history, to date.  [1].

Thirteen years, two months and eight days have passed since September 11. Still, the remnants of a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers lingers among the public’s mind. Security has been beefed up with extreme standards, stressing the safety of the American public from eminent attacks. This has also created a boost in awareness to suspicious activities and personnel. To some, the ignorance is stronger than most because of the belief that the actions committed on 9/11 were meaningless, that it didn’t change a thing in American society. Unfortunately, 9/11 changed everything, but in the end, it was for the greater good. Since then, the actions from September 11 have created a positive

America has gone through difficult times with war, but has gone through harder times with the war on terror. Terrorism is defined as the use of terror or threat. The war on terror became a big deal on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed by hundreds of Japanese fighter planes, but has been a bigger deal since that attack on the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.. The bombing of the Twin Towers and to the Pentagon was like a Pearl Harbor but for the 21st century. Terrorist turn to violent means such as killing and bombing of the government.

One person's freedom fighter is another person's terrorist" is a common statement used to describe the different perspectives about terrorism around the world. A myriad of reasons confirm the incident of 9/11 was definitely a terrorist attack. Firstly, the proceedings that occurred on this day perfectly align with the terrorism definition and secondly, the subnational group created widespread fear. However, there are fewer reasons that some argue that 9/11 was a freedom fight. Firstly, the United State’s abandonment in the Afghan- Soviet War and the type of message Al Qaeda aimed to spread. With no question, 9/11 must be recognised as an act of terror.

Last Tuesday, November 14th, a rented Home Depot truck hurtled into a bike lane in lower Manhattan taking the lives of eight people, many of them tourists. Five of the victims were Argentines visiting New York City for a 30th High School reunion; another victim was from Belgium. Officials have called this attack the largest terrorist attack in New York City since September 11, 2001.

Domestic Terrorism as defined by www.rand.org is “violence against the civilian population or infrastructure of a nation, often but not always by citizens of that nation and often with the intent to intimidate, coerce, or influence national policy”. Boko Haram rose to power due to the corrupt political leaders and economic troubles striking those living in Nigeria. This gives people who are concerned about what is going on to ask questions. What is Boko Haram? What is their goal? What are they doing to achieve this goal? What is the United States doing as a result? These are just a few of the possibly endless questions that could be asked about Boko Haram.

Terrorism causes fear all across the world. People are terrified because of what happens in these attacks. There are many different kinds of fear caused by terrorist attacks. Some react to these attacks differently than others. Many react to these attacks in a constructive and rational matter, this helps to not give the terrorists what they want. If we can do this we can minimize these attacks across the world. So, are you with me? Will you help to minimize this problem?