Essay on "International Terrorism"

Essay 5 pages (1634 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

International Terrorism

The text offers three sources of (or reasons for) violence in the Middle East. Which of the three sources do you think is most responsible, if any? Explain your answer. Also, given these sources, what do you think can and/or should be done to secure a lasting peace in the Middle East?

The answer in my opinion is the militant Muslims, Arab and non-Arab, who preach revolutionary Islam and their fight against the secular politics of the Arab states as well as the Arab states cooperation and involvement with the Western politics which they view as infidels. The militants or extremist Muslims believe that violence is the only way to resolve any differences others may have them and their religious beliefs. The extremist desire a singular, unified Arab state and the expulsion of all none Islamist people from all Arabic or in their case all Islamic land from the Middle East and extending to the Atlantic Ocean through North Africa. They especially want Israel destroyed and the land given to their Islamic brethren. This conflict between Israel and Islam dates back to early in Biblical Old Testament times.

Religion is the basis for their convictions and willingness to die for their cause. To die as a suicide bomber, according to the extremists, will get you 40 virgins in heaven.

There are no easy solutions to securing peace in the Middle East. The only two solutions that would have a chance in the near future are the eradication of all extremist militants fighting for Islamic beliefs or the permanent exodus of the Israeli people from Israel, giving up all claims to the land, and the removal of all Western people and interests from all Islamic lands. Neither of these are going to happen in the near future and only a world war could make it possible.

2. What is Hamas? Hezbollah? Islamic Jihad? What are the differences between them? Are these groups a threat to the United States? If so, how so? Under what circumstance, if any should we negotiate with terror groups such as these?

Hamas represents the largest Palestinian revolutionary group and retains authority in the Palestinian general legislation. Members of the group refuse to acknowledge the Israel state exists. Hamas is a terrorist group that launches missiles and mortar fire into Israel cities and carries out suicide bombing as well. Hamas was originally formed in Egypt from the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas does carry out social services to Palestinians in the area.

Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim terrorist organization located in Lebanon. It like Hamas is also a social services provider to Lebanese Shiites. In 2008, Hezbollah gained political status in Lebanon. The group came in to existence in 1982 following the invasion of Israel into Lebanon and is tied to Iran and Syria.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization's main goal is the end of the state of Israel. The group does not carry out social services or engage in politics. Its only goal is to wipe Israel of the Middle Eastern map and regain all Palestinian land. They feel violence and war are the only solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the outcome must be the destruction of Israel.

Due to our alliance with Israel and the ideology of the Western cultures, the three organizations will always have contempt for our nation. They will continue to bomb, hijack, and destroy anything that is none Islamic in the region of the Middle East. They do not want any non-Islamist people on their lands and will kill or even die to see that happen.

Only in the name of peace between the Israeli people and Islamic people should we even get involved with any of these groups. Peace will not exist as long as these groups seek the destruction of Israel.

3. Describe the Kurdish conflict and the PKK in detail. Who are the peoples and nations with a stake in the conflict? What are the concerns or objections of all sides of the conflict? Do you believe that the Kurds are deserving of their own nation-state? Or is it simply a fact of life that Kurds will remain a minority in every country they occupy, whether, Turkey, or Iraq, or elsewhere? Feel free to consult and cite other sources in addition to the text as you compose your answer.

The Kurd's are mountain people living in the mountain regions of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Armenia. Before World War 1, the Kurdish people were nomads and roamed freely through these areas. After the war and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the land was divided up and new states were created except for the Kurdish people. Now bound by borders, they were forced to live under the rules of the nation in which they inhabit.

They are Sunni Muslims but are more Persian than Arabic.

In 1978, the PKK or Kurdish Workers Party was established and began to organize the Kurdish men from several of the occupied lands to fight for a Kurdish state. They have tried and been stopped in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey for trying to take the land by force. Only the Iraqi war has given them a chance at freedom within the Iraqi borders but will not allow them to take the land as a state of their own.

Kurds had been promised some land of their own only to have Turkey renege on the treaty. Had Kurd's not violently tried to force the takeover of the land from each nation I might would agree they deserve it but now I am not so sure. All countries will continue to treat and see them as a minority due to the nomadic ways of the past Kurdish people.

4. Discuss the rise of Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. What are bin Laden's key issues? What attacks or attempted attacks have been linked to Al-Qaeda (include the years)? How should America go about combating bin Laden and Al-Qaeda? Or, if you prefer, should we make peace somehow with that organization?

Al-Qaeda was formed in the late 1980's by Osama bin-Laden to incorporate the international network he had established while fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Bin-Laden is the son of a wealthy Saudi Arabian business man whose radical views have caused him to live most of his life on the run. Following the end of the war with Soviets, bin-Laden turned to the expulsion of the United States from Saudi Arabia and all Islamic lands. U.S. presence in Saudi Arabia, where two of the most sacred Muslim shrines are, has led bin-Laden to turn on the Saudi Arabian government and the U.S. The following information was gathered from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/al-qaida.htm in regards to attacks by the group.

2003 car bomb attacks on three residential compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

November 2002 car bomb attack and a failed attempt to shoot down an Israeli jetliner with shoulder-fired missiles, both in Mombasa, Kenya

October 2002 attack on a French tanker off the coast of Yemen Several spring 2002 bombings in Pakistan

April 2002 explosion of a fuel tanker outside a synagogue in Tunisia

September 11, 2001, hijacking attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon

October 12, 2000 U.S.S. Cole bombing in Aden, Yemen killing 17 crew members and wounding 39.

August 7, 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Al-Qaeda is suspected of carrying out or directing sympathetic groups to carry out the May 2003 suicide attacks on Western interests in Casablanca, Morocco; the October 12, 2002 nightclub bombing in Bali, Indonesia; the 1993 World Trade Center bombing; and a series of incidents in Saudi Arabia against U.S. targets from 1995 to 1996.

Plots linked to al-Qaeda that were disrupted or prevented include: a 2001 attempt by Richard Reid… READ MORE

How to Reference "International Terrorism" Essay in a Bibliography

Related Essays:

International Terrorism Has Brought With it Destruction Essay

International terrorism has brought with it destruction, bloodshed, the killing of untold thousands of innocent people, political reprisals and fear. But along with these unconscionable terror-related strategies and tactics, many… read more

Essay 8 pages (2646 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Terrorism / Extremism / Radicalization

---

International Terrorism Violence in the Middle East Essay

International Terrorism

Violence in the Middle East:

The principle cause of perpetual violence in the Middle East is the extremist attitudes prevailing amongst Palestinian Arabs and other Arab states and… read more

Essay 5 pages (1571 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA Topic: Terrorism / Extremism / Radicalization

---

International Terrorism Term Paper

International Terrorism

Terrorism is now considered to be the largest threat facing the international system and the security framework around the world. Its transnational nature and the unconventional means used… read more

Term Paper 6 pages (2305 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Terrorism / Extremism / Radicalization

---

International Terrorism and Homeland Security Term Paper

International Terrorism and Homeland Security

It is a basic principle of government, even in democracies, that when a country faces great danger, it may be necessary to curb some personal… read more

Term Paper 6 pages (1883 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Terrorism / Extremism / Radicalization

---

Terrorism Is a Weapon of the Weak Global Jihad a Myth or Reality Essay

Terrorism is a "Weapon of the Weak -- / Global Jihad, a Myth or Reality

Terrorism is a weapon of the weak

Terrorism has become one of the most discussed… read more

Essay 4 pages (1337 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Terrorism / Extremism / Radicalization

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>