Origins and Evolution of Terrorism

1. Why was the hostage crisis at the Munich Olympics a turning point in terrorism? 

The hostage crisis at the 1972 Olympics in Munich was a turning point in terrorism because it taught terrorists around the world a lesson in getting people’s attention. From this point on, terrorists did not necessarily attack targets that were leaders of the movements they were opposing, but they chose the targets that would get the most attention in the media. This was the motivation for the attacking of the World Trade Center, for example. The World Trade Center was a symbol of American power, and seeing it fall shook Americans to their core.

2. The reading says that state-sponsored terrorism increased after the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran. What did many governments learn from that event?

            State-sponsored terrorism increased after the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran because many governments realized that funding terrorist groups made it easier for a weaker state to attack a larger state. The terrorists benefitted as well. They receive funding, weapons, training, and were easily able to transport weapons between countries. Governments used terrorist groups to advance their political and ideological goals without the state being directly at fault, and terrorists used governments to facilitate the advancing of whatever cause for which they were acting.

3. The past fifteen years have seen a sharp rise in religious terrorism. What motivates these terrorists? 

Some religious terrorists are motivated by the notion that the world is going wrong, and that the only way to fix it is to impress their religion upon the rest of the world. Other religious terrorists believe other methods of social change are bound to fail, whereas terrorism is more immediate and more effective. Religious terrorists such as Osama bin Laden are motivated by the idea that the force they’re fighting against represents evil and Satan, while their movement is supported by the power of good and God. The motivation for the target of a religious terrorist is based upon what they think truly symbolizes the evil of their opposing force.

4. How have these new terrorists changed the way terrorism is carried out? 

As these new terrorist emerged, it seemed they have rejected the notion that all they want to do is get a lot of people watching. These new terrorists want to get millions watching AND kill many people as they’re doing it. They have begun turning to nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons as a means of killing more people. This makes them a much higher priority to law enforcement officials the world over.