History of domestic terrorism criminology essay

U. S. History of Domestic TerrorismJoseph HooperCourse number and titleInstructor’s nameUniversityDateIn recent years, terrorism gained a global character, which not only threats the interest of American citizens, but also greatly influences on public security, the stability of many states, regardless of their political system and international relations. So, U. S. domestic terrorism occupies not the last place in different debates, and the growth of the threat of domestic terrorism in the United States has appeared on the background of acute political issues, which are characterized by dissemination of political, ethnic, and religious extremism, that presents a substantial risk to the interests of the individual, society and the state, including political, military, economic, and environmental security of the country, its constitutional order, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Thus, the main of the assignment is to observe U. S. history of domestic terrorism for the purpose to understand this concept better. Observing contemporary situation in the country, we can mention that U. S. authorities are concerned about the growing number of citizens and permanent residents of the U. S. who are involved in terrorist activities against the country. Despite the fact that the American home-grown terrorists are suffering one defeat after another, U. S. officials are sure in their resourcefulness and warn the citizens that domestic terrorism is a serious threat for the country. According to Michael (2003), domestic terrorists are particularly dangerous because they can hit any flank and with little or no warning. Norris, Kern & Just (2003) warned that they understand American culture, they know all the procedures to ensure the safety of the country’s vulnerabilities. Moreover, they use the Internet, social networking and marketing skills in order to influence the adherents. So, the necessity to focus on the main issues of the history of domestic terrorism has a strong background. To begin, we need to mention that the issue of domestic terrorism has deep roots, and this concept takes its beginnings many decades ago. For instance, let us remember the fact that Leon Czolgosz, anarchist who killed President McKinley in 1901, was a native of the United States and acted without foreign assistance. So, according to Hewitt (2003), this killing can be considered to be an act of domestic terrorism. The same can be said about Lee Harvey Oswald, James Earl Ray, etc. According to Hamm (2006), the most deadly act of domestic terrorism in U. S. history was the explosion in Oklahoma, which was made by a veteran of the Gulf War, whose name was Timothy McVeigh, and who was born in New York. Of course, the number of domestic terrorist attacks has greatly decreased in comparison to 1970, when Weather Underground, The Jewish Defense League, a group of Cuban exiles who opposed Castro and Puerto Rican nationalists set off bombs on the territory of the U. S., but the problem has not disappeared yet. Observing U. S. history of domestic terrorism, we need to say that Al Qaeda is a strong terrorist organization nowadays. Moreover, according to Purpura (2007), it occupies a prominent place in the history of domestic terrorism in the United States. But, of course, the fact that Al Qaeda has some difficulties in its inclusion into the ordinary American life can be explained by three main reasons. The first reason is hidden in the ideology of Al Qaeda because its representatives kill many people, including Muslims, while this fact guarantees its unpopularity in much of the world. Gartenstein-Ross (2011) demonstrated that their ideology is particularly pernicious for those who live in the concerted liberal societies such as the United States. The second reason can be found in impossibility of Americans to be truly devoted to this organization by the place of their birth. It is a truth that the Americans, who are attracted to Al Qaeda, probably somewhat worried and unhappy, but they are not endowed with properties that many organizations value most in their recruits. And the third reason can be explained by the activity of American government to control the level of domestic terrorism for the purpose to destroy it. Into the acknowledgement of this fact, we can say that U. S. leaders seek for the variations to strengthen existing measures against domestic terrorists. After September 11, 2001, the FBI received a large amount of additional funding for counterterrorism and threw a small army of agents leading the fight against crime to the fight against terrorism. Many best agents were included in the new joint forces to combat terrorism. Moreover, ambitious prosecutors increasingly sought to bring charges against the terrorists, and it also helped to decrease the level of domestic terrorism in the United States. To add, Ronczkowski (2004) noted that many states have established special centers to generalize all the data about terrorist attacks, where the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began to provide current information about the threat. Being more specific, we need to state that domestic terrorism includes acts that threaten human life and are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State; the acts which look as an activity that has a straightly directed character; the acts that are directed at intimidation, or coercion of civilians; the acts used to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or to influence the action of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or abduction of a statesman, and occurs primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States. Observing weak sides of domestic terrorism for the purpose to know the enemy better, Clarke (2003) stated that domestic terrorist organizations have problems in their organization. The mass violence has historically been a product of bureaucratic and hierarchical organizations belonging to or similar to them rebel movements. But the difference is hidden in the fact that bureaucratic organizations have the means necessary in order to prepare and motivate many people to do illegal actions by the order of terrorist leaders, and as history shows, it was the base of the violence with the use of small arms. Moreover, only bureaucratic organizations have physical security, knowledge, skills and capital needed to make weapons, for example, artillery, attack aircraft and nuclear weapons (capable of killing many people) as agents of the state or other organizations which are able to monopolize violence. Since these organizations are usually underground, terrorist groups usually do not have such properties. They find it difficult to acquire and transmit knowledge-bearing death, accumulate wealth, build factories for the production of sophisticated weapons or provide enough participants to conduct attacks against the population. These shortcomings are particularly evident in Al Qaeda, which has always been more loosely bound group of radicals, rather than the organization which able to govern its team and supporters. In such a way, summarizing the previously stated facts, we can state that the phenomenon of terrorism in the modern society is extremely complex and it generates social and political entropy, systemic effects of which are not computed. Gareau (2004) mentioned that domestic terrorist activity often gains a special, or a so-called ” generative” character through the prism of modern media. In a society which has a significant crisis potential always exists a sufficient number of specific organizations, clans, criminal communities that reject conventional norms of morality of people, and groups with significant mental health problems who are willing to commit a terrorist act or to join in terrorist activities. To add, domestic terrorism by its political and social psychological reasons is powered not by religious values ​​and ideas, but by specific settings for solving political problems. So, a responsibility for terrorist activities must be carried out by specific individuals, groups, associations, which may hide the true reasons of terrorist attacks behind religious, national or other motives to achieve their goals, as well as the forces that are behind the terrorists. Thus, taking everything into consideration, it is possible to state in conclusion that we have explored U. S. history of domestic terrorism paying a specific attention to the nature of terrorist attacks, and thinking about the roots of terrorism in America. Moreover, we have also demonstrated the fact that effective struggle against domestic terrorism at national, regional and international level is possible only in the case when this struggle will be support by civil society and by all levels of American population. Therefore, effective solutions of the problems of training of all categories of the population on the prevention of terrorist acts and activities aimed at the rise of vigilance and observation in citizens may improve situation in the country.