The Geography of Terrorism essays

The Geography of Terrorism essays In "Terrorism's Widening Circle" and "From Terrorism to Insurgency," the author traces the specific geographic issues related to terrorism in the modern age. While terrorism is hardly new, the scope and nature of terrorist attacks have been changing over the recent years, a fact that became quite evident in the United States and the world on September 11, 2001. It was at that moment that the reality of Islamic terrorism became manifest for the world, including the terrorist movements willingness to go to extreme lengths in attacks on the West. Chapters 8 and 9 of the text, respectively listed above, describe the geographical component of terrorism in the modern age and the importance it plays in our understanding of Islamic terrorism, its roots, and its intentions. In "Terrorism's Widening Circle" the author describes circuitously the non-locality of Islamic terrorism in comparison with other major terrorist groups. What does this mean? In a geographical sense, most terrorist groups in the past have been local or regional in their organization. Consider the Irish Republican Army, which is situated firmly in Northern Ireland and has engaged nearly all of its operations in that region. Or we might consider Aum Shinryuko, the Japanese cult and terrorist organization responsible for the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. They, too, centered nearly all of their activities in a single nation, a single geographical region. The modern Islamic terrorist movement, on the other hand, does not operate in such a limited fashion. Defying the logic of national boundaries, Islamic terrorism has apparently struck out war on all fronts against any ideological enemy. By and large, this has meant attacks on the West. But because Western interests are strewn around the globe, Islamic terrorist organizations have responded by attacking targets throughout the world. This non-locality makes traditional containment and control operations by nations...