Meaning of Terrorism and Mode of Operation

Terrorism

Edelbacher and Kratcoski as cited in Maximilian Edelbacher (2018:26) note “An act defined as ‘terrorism’ is considered criminal in most of the penal codes of the countries of the world. However it is difficult to define what a terrorist act is, and the specific context (political, religious, revolutionary, nationalistic, state violence, etc.) in which the act is manifested must always be considered.” Several international organizations, including the United Nations and the European Union, have developed definitions of terrorism and have delineated the characteristics of terrorist acts. Frech (2001, p.2) uses the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) definition of terrorism, “The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population or any segment thereof, in the furtherance of a political or social objective,” to illustrate the criminal nature of terrorism. According to Mueller  as cited in Maximilian Edelbacher (2018:26) terrorism includes six ingredients. They are:

Potential/perpetrator: Any person or agency, other than a government’s aggressive activity against another government.

Victim: Any place or person, including innocent targeted groups.

Methods: They are chosen for maximum impact, including destruction, with minimal effort. The selection of symbolic targets is important.

Purpose: The purpose of terrorism is generally to instill fear and terror.

Goal: It usually is to force a change of governmental policy toward a goal favored by the terrorists. There are usually short range and long range goals.

Motive: Usually the overarching motive of terrorists is to portray an aura of invincibility and capacity to strike unimpeded anywhere in the world.

Sedgwick as quoted in Maximilian Edelbacher (2018:27) citing US Department of Justice research concluded that international crime organizations and terrorist organizations use the proceeds from their involvement in many other types of crime to further their goals. These types of crimes include:

Energy and strategic materials markets

Smuggling and trafficking of goods and people

Money laundering

Cybercrime

Terrorist operations and foreign intelligence

 

 Combatting Terrorism and Organized Crime

Kratcoski (2017, p.19), as cited in Maximilian Edelbacher (2018:27) in a summary of the presentations given at the International Police Executive Symposium (IPES) held in Budapest, Hungary, in 2013, stated, “It was noted that all countries have some internal (domestic) terrorists organizations and external internationally based left-and- rights wing extremist groups whose sole purpose is to cause confusion or fear and to convince the public that the government cannot protect its citizens and guarantee their security.” However some organized criminal groups, while not motivated by a political or religious ideology, nevertheless use terrorism as a means to further their own goals of achieving control and power to guarantee that their criminal activities will continue without any interference from the authorities. Edelbacher and Kratcoski (2010), Kratcoski and Das (2003), and Kratcoski (2008) noted that terrorist organizations engage in various types of criminal activities in order to finance their operations. In addition to money laundering, terrorist organizations engage in the exploitation of the transportation and financial sectors of a country by:

Smuggling of humans and smuggling of goods, such as drugs and weapons

Money laundering, fraud, counterfeiting of currency, and documents

Identity theft

Kratcoski (2017, p.19) referring to the IPES held in Budapest in 2013 noted “Several speakers at the IPES Budapest meeting emphasized that maintaining communications and information exchanges among law enforcement agencies through-out the world is critical in combating terrorist organizations. The development of international laws and binding legal agreements must be a high priority for all countries that have concerns about international terrorist organizations.” In an address to the attendees of the IPES, Budapest meeting, in 2013, Martin Kreutner, Dean of the International Anti-Corruption Academy, provided information on the efforts of several international organizations to combat corruption and crime (as cited in Maximilian Edelbacher (2018:28).

Terrorism

Edelbacher and Kratcoski (2010, p.83)  as cited in Maximilian Edelbacher (2018:26) note “An act defined as ‘terrorism’ is considered criminal in most of the penal codes of the countries of the world. However it is difficult to define what a terrorist act is, and the specific context (political, religious, revolutionary, nationalistic, state violence, etc.) in which the act is manifested must always be considered.” Several international organizations, including the United Nations and the European Union, have developed definitions of terrorism and have delineated the characteristics of terrorist acts. Frech (2001, p.2) uses the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) definition of terrorism, “The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population or any segment thereof, in the furtherance of a political or social objective,” to illustrate the criminal nature of terrorism. According to Mueller (2003), as cited in Maximilian Edelbacher (2018:26) terrorism includes six ingredients. They are:

Potential/perpetrator: Any person or agency, other than a government’s aggressive activity against another government.

Victim. Any place or person, including innocent targeted groups.

Methods. They are chosen for maximum impact, including destruction, with minimal effort. The selection of symbolic targets is important.

Purpose. The purpose of terrorism is generally to instill fear and terror.

Goal. It usually is to force a change of governmental policy toward a goal favored by the terrorists. There are usually short range and long range goals.

Motive. Usually the overarching motive of terrorists is to portray an aura of invincibility and capacity to strike unimpeded anywhere in the world.

Sedgwick (2008, p.8) as cited in Maximilian Edelbacher (2018:27) citing US Department of Justice research concluded that international crime organizations and terrorist organizations use the proceeds from their involvement in many other types of crime to further their goals. These types of crimes include:

Energy and strategic materials markets

Smuggling and trafficking of goods and people

Money laundering

Cybercrime

Terrorist operations and foreign intelligence

 

 Combatting Terrorism and Organized Crime

Kratcoski (2017, p.19), as cited in Maximilian Edelbacher (2018:27) in a summary of the presentations given at the International Police Executive Symposium (IPES) held in Budapest, Hungary, in 2013, stated, “It was noted that all countries have some internal (domestic) terrorists organizations and external internationally based left-and- rights wing extremist groups whose sole purpose is to cause confusion or fear and to convince the public that the government cannot protect its citizens and guarantee their security.” However some organized criminal groups, while not motivated by a political or religious ideology, nevertheless use terrorism as a means to further their own goals of achieving control and power to guarantee that their criminal activities will continue without any interference from the authorities. Edelbacher and Kratcoski (2010), Kratcoski and Das (2003), and Kratcoski (2008) noted that terrorist organizations engage in various types of criminal activities in order to finance their operations. In addition to money laundering, terrorist organizations engage in the exploitation of the transportation and financial sectors of a country by:

Smuggling of humans and smuggling of goods, such as drugs and weapons

Money laundering, fraud, counterfeiting of currency, and documents

Identity theft

Kratcoski (2017, p.19) referring to the IPES held in Budapest in 2013 noted “Several speakers at the IPES Budapest meeting emphasized that maintaining communications and information exchanges among law enforcement agencies through-out the world is critical in combating terrorist organizations. The development of international laws and binding legal agreements must be a high priority for all countries that have concerns about international terrorist organizations.” In an address to the attendees of the IPES, Budapest meeting, in 2013, Martin Kreutner, Dean of the International Anti-Corruption Academy, provided information on the efforts of several international organizations to combat corruption and crime (as cited in Maximilian Edelbacher (2018:28).

Reference

Edelbacher. M.  (2018). Fraud and corruption: A European perspective. In Peter C. Kratcoski, Edelbacher, M  (Eds.). Fraud and corruption: Major types, prevention. Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 (ebook).