Week 5

Use of Violent Tactics by Terrorist Organizations to Achieve their Goals Introduction Terrorist organizations have varying leadership structure, their target victims, tactics applied in fulfilling their missions, and direct and indirect support. According to research findings published in the Northwestern Journal of International Affairs reveal that terrorist organizations use a series of violent methods like hijacking, suicide bombing, kidnapping, threats (Lickteig, 2009), and massive killings to make their intentions clear. In most cases, there seems to be a religious, political, and an economic goal behind their ill motives. All in all, most of these organizations rely solely on violent tactics to achieve their goals. In some cases however, there have been reported cases where terrorists form political parties, which makes it easy for them to manipulate people behind democratic symbols.
Terrorists desired outcomes require them to use force in order to induce fear to anyone who does not agree with them. For instance, ISIL executed two American journalists, in order to warn the American Government about its activities in the Middle East (Steinsson, 2014). In other cases, the Alshabaab from Somalia have become a common threat to the Kenyan Government. In April, they attacked a university college in Garrisa town and murdered 148 students, with the aim of threatening the Kenyan government to withdraw its military forces in Somalia.
Between 1960 and 1980, the Tupamaros used violence as a strategy to turn things around in Uruguay. In their strategy laid down by a Latin American Revolutionary Carlos Marighela, the terrorist organization used bombing and widespread killings to turn the government against its citizens. The government quickly reacted by infringing civil liberties, as a tactic to combat the attack and further threats (Kydd & Walter, 2006). However, the public ended up perceiving the government as an enemy and not the terrorist organization. Currently, the same strategy is being used in Peru by Shining Path and Ulster’s PIRA, though on low scale.
Conclusion
In most cases, use of violence in achieving their goals looks like the most viable method used by terrorist organizations. It does not matter whether they are aligned to a political party or a religious cult. Their motives come out clear through executions, kidnapping, inhuman acts, piracy, and propaganda. However, whoever accepts their demands suffers further losses because they take control when their rival submits to their terms.
References
Kydd, A., H., & Walter, B., F. (2006). The Strategies of Terrorism. International Security, 31(1): 49-80.
Lickteig Jennifer. (2009, Dec 6). Terrorist Organizations and the Use of Non-violent Tactics. Northwestern Journal of International Affairs, 10(1).
Steinsson Sverrir. (2014, Jun 22). Is Terrorism an Effective Way to Attain Political Goals? Retrieved Jun 7, 2015 from: http://www. e-ir. info/2014/06/22/is-terrorism-an-effective-way-to-attain-political-goals/.