A Long-Term Approach to Terrorism

Terrorist activity is increasing at 12% to 15% a year, a new report from the Rand Corp. concludes, and soon may become a normal feature of life on Earth if measures are not taken to curtail it.

Even more disturbing is the fact that governments have no effective way to deal with terrorists. Despite retaliation threats from Washington and other world capitals, terrorism continues unabated. The Rand report itself was noticeably lacking in suggestions of what to do.

If the world really wants to reduce terrorism, the worst thing that we can do is persist in seeing it as a phenomenon of isolated, conspiratorial groups supported by certain governments. An alternative view can be drawn from anthropological research on disaffected communities. While it offers no quick-fix solutions, it suggests a more effective long-term approach.

The most important insight about terrorism is that it is community-based--an outgrowth of the social dynamics of particular communities where individuals feel themselves to be beleaguered and ignored both at home and by the international community. When they feel themselves under siege, community members begin to tolerate more extreme behavior in the name of community causes. The surest sign of imminent terrorist activity is unwillingness of community leaders to condemn their own extreme elements for fear of losing overall support.

Such communities can be described as terrorist-generating. The Sikh community in India, Catholics in Northern Ireland, Shia Muslims in Lebanon and Palestinians throughout the Middle East are good examples. These communities feel, rightly or wrongly, that they have exhausted every channel in getting their needs heard and addressed. They feel that no one cares about them and thus that violent force will give a sense of movement to their cause, galvanizing internal support and attracting international attention.

Terrorist-generating communities are not a new phenomenon, nor are they restricted to the developing world. The Central Intelligence Agency has used the “Sons of Liberty” from the American Revolution as a case study of a terrorist organization.

Because community members see their causes as righteous, indeed even sacred, the terrorist acts in their name are often perceived as virtuous. And because these acts are based in the community, attacking individual terrorists is a futile control device. Individuals who are arrested or executed become martyrs to the community cause and are quickly replaced by others inspired by their terrorism.

Thus virtually every terrorist act in 1985 involved individuals completely prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their mission. Today, no matter what the Israeli and U.S. governments do to try to weaken Palestinian extremist leadership, new cells of terrorist resistance crop up everywhere, so nebulous in origin that they can’t be pinpointed at all. Witness the international attempts to try to apprehend terrorist leader Abu Nidal.

But some measures can be taken.

To forestall terrorist attacks against their citizens, the United States and other nations should avoid making public statements in support of actions and groups that terrorists feel are oppressing them.

Avoiding emotionalism in reporting these acts would do a great deal to make them seem less cosmic in their importance.

Finally, we need to find ways to address the real grievances of the communities from which terrorism is arising. These communities feel trapped and at the end of their resources, to the point where young people are willing to trade their lives for 20 minutes of television time. The media, religious organizations and governments should work to establish platforms where communities that feel themselves under siege can air their grievances before the world without having to throw bombs to be heard. At present there is no such official platform anywhere.

Of course, individual terrorists should be pursued and convicted. But it must also be recognized that their crimes are crimes of conscience, not undertaken for personal gain. Merely arresting and executing them will do little to stop terrorism as long as the communities that they come from see themselves as under attack with no way out.