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Author Topic:   What makes a terrorist a terrorist?
MangyTiger
Member (Idle past 6354 days)
Posts: 989
From: Leicester, UK
Joined: 07-30-2004


Message 6 of 300 (333825)
07-20-2006 8:30 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by SuperNintendo Chalmers
07-20-2006 5:45 PM


So what makes a group terrorists?
The general criteria seems to be whether you support their goals or not.

Oops! Wrong Planet

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MangyTiger
Member (Idle past 6354 days)
Posts: 989
From: Leicester, UK
Joined: 07-30-2004


Message 59 of 300 (334185)
07-22-2006 12:29 AM
Reply to: Message 56 by Faith
07-21-2006 11:46 PM


Hezbollah has set itself up in Lebanon
You make it sound like they've come in from outside - but Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia organisation. It was created in Lebanon by the Lebanese as a direct result of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon by Israel.
It's ideology is based on that of Ayatollah Khomeini and it receives support from both Syria and Iran but it remains a Lebanese organisation.

Oops! Wrong Planet

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MangyTiger
Member (Idle past 6354 days)
Posts: 989
From: Leicester, UK
Joined: 07-30-2004


Message 106 of 300 (334832)
07-24-2006 12:31 PM
Reply to: Message 105 by Modulous
07-24-2006 11:58 AM


Re: King David Hotel Bombing of 1946
It would probably have to include something like 'if, in our opinion, the ends justified the means, it wasn't terrorism'.
Yup.
I think this is a variation on the approach that if they are on our side or their goals line up with our interests they are freedom fighters and if we perceive they're acting against our interests they are terrorists.

Oops! Wrong Planet

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MangyTiger
Member (Idle past 6354 days)
Posts: 989
From: Leicester, UK
Joined: 07-30-2004


Message 156 of 300 (335955)
07-28-2006 5:54 AM
Reply to: Message 138 by Faith
07-27-2006 6:49 PM


Re: Not all THAT complicated to define it
the typical Arab cowardice
Typical Arab duplicity
Let's change that slightly and see if you'd be ok with someone saying it...
the typical black cowardice
Typical black duplicity
I guess despite the Civil Rights movement you still see nothing wrong with stereotyping large groups of people.
It seems underneath your Biblical Literalist exterior there beats the heart of an unashamed racist.
I suppose I shouldn't find it surprising but I do - surprising and disgusting.

Oops! Wrong Planet

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 Message 138 by Faith, posted 07-27-2006 6:49 PM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
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MangyTiger
Member (Idle past 6354 days)
Posts: 989
From: Leicester, UK
Joined: 07-30-2004


Message 229 of 300 (338081)
08-05-2006 10:23 AM
Reply to: Message 228 by nwr
08-05-2006 10:00 AM


For the most part, terrorists are desparate people with serious grievances.
Indeed. I think it is generally also true that they see no way of their grievances being addressed without using terrorism - the diplomatic or political route has been exhausted (or in some cases does not even get started) and convential military conflict is a non-starter.
Whatever you may think of their aims and methods it seems almost certain to me that without the actions of the Provisional IRA from the late '60s onwards the non-loyalist community in Northern Ireland would still be being denied many civil rights such as equal housing and employment rights, let alone any discussion of their political aspirations.
A strange quirk of the situation in Northern Ireland is that the advent of Republican terrorism led to the creation of Loyalist terrorist movements. These claimed to be protecting their communities from the IRA terrorists and it led to a brutal cycle of attacks and killing. Although the situation is by no means perfect and a peaceful outcome is by no means guaranteed the best - indeed to date only - solution to the Irish problems has been negotiations aimed at producing a solution which addresses the grievances and fears of all sides. The terrorists were at least indirectly involved in these negotiations. Actually, the negotiations are pretty meaningless if they aren't in my opinion.
Similarly without the PLO actions of the '60s onwards nobody of any political significance would have paid any interest at all to their plight. I was going to say "and Israel would still be free to treat them as second class citizens" - but the sad truth is that (and much worse - I think Israel treats the Palestinians as sub-humans) is still happening.
People like Faith seem to regard terrorism as a root cause of problems - I regard it as a symptom (although it can also be regarded as a secondary cause of subsequent problems which can take on a life of their own).

Oops! Wrong Planet

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