Terrorist Behavior

There is clearly a wide choice of definitions for terrorism. Despite this, there are elements in
common among the majority of useful definitions. Common threads of the various definitions
identify terrorism as:

Political
Psychological
Coercive
Deliberate

Political
A terrorist act is a political act or is committed with the intention to cause a political effect.
Clausewitz' statement that "war is a continuation of policy by other means" is taken as a
truism by terrorists. They merely eliminate the intermediate step of armies and warfare, and
apply violence directly to the political contest.

Psychological
The intended results of terrorist acts cause a psychological effect ("terror"). They are aimed
at a target audience other than the actual victims of the act. The intended target audience
of the terrorist act may be the population as a whole, some specific portion of a society (an
ethnic minority, for example), or decision-making elites in the society's political, social, or
military populace.

Coercive
Violence and destruction are used in the commission of the act to produce the desired effect.
Even if casualties or destruction are not the result of a terrorist operation, the threat or
potential of violence is what produces the intended effect. For example, a successful
hostage taking operation may result in all hostages being freed unharmed after negotiations
and bargaining. Regardless of the outcome, the terrorist bargaining chips were nothing less
than the raw threat of applying violence to maim or kill some or all of the hostages. When
the threat of violence is not credible, or the terrorists are unable to implement violence
effectively, terrorism fails.
Deliberate
Terrorism is an activity planned and intended to achieve particular goals. It is a rationally
employed, specifically selected tactic, and is not a random act. Since the victims of terrorist
violence are often of little import, with one being as good for the terrorists' purposes as
another, victim or target selection can appear random or unprovoked. But the target will
contain symbolic value or be capable of eliciting emotional response according to the
terrorists' goals. Remember that the actual target of terrorism is not the victim of the violence,
but the psychological balance.
Goals and Motivation of terrorism

The type of target selected will often reflect motivations and ideologies. For groups
professing secular political or social motivations, their targets are highly symbolic of
authority; government offices, banks, national airlines, and multinational corporations with
direct relation to the established order. Likewise, they conduct attacks on representative
individuals whom they associate with economic exploitation, social injustice, or political
repression. While religious groups also use much of this symbolism, there is a trend to
connect it to greater physical devastation. There also is a tendency to add religiously
affiliated individuals, such as missionaries, and religious activities, such as worship services,
to the targeting equation.

Another common form of symbolism utilized in terrorist targeting is striking on particular

anniversaries or commemorative dates. Nationalist groups may strike to commemorate
battles won or lost during a conventional struggle, whereas religious groups may strike to
mark particularly appropriate observances. Many groups will attempt to commemorate
anniversaries of successful operations, or the executions or deaths of notable individuals
related to their particular conflict. Likewise, striking on days of particular significance to the
enemy can also provide the required impact. Since there are more events than operations,
assessment of the likelihood of an attack on a commemorative date is only useful when
analyzed against the operational pattern of a particular group or specific members of a
group's leadership cadre.

The Intent of Terrorist Groups

A terrorist group commits acts of violence to -

Produce widesrpead fear
Obtain worldwide, national, or local recognition for their cause by attracting the
attention of the media
Harass, weaken, or embarrass government security forces so that the the
government overreacts and appears repressive
Steal or extort money and equipment, especially weapons and ammunition vital to
the operation of their group
Destroy facilities or disrupt lines of communication in order to create doubt that the
government can provide for and protect its citizens
Discourage foreign investments, tourism, or assistance programs that can affect the
target countrys economy and support of the government in power
Influence government decisions, legislation, or other critical decisions
Free prisoners
Satisfy vengeance.
Type of terrorist acts
The most common types of terrorist ACTS include:
Bombings
Bombings are the most common type of terrorist act. Typically, improvised explosive
devices are inexpensive and easy to make. Modern devices are smaller and are
harder to detect and sometimes use common, non-military components. Both type
of explosive devices can contain very destructive capabilities; for example, on
February 23, 1993 the World Trade Centre (North Tower) was hit by a massive
terrorst bomb that exploded in the basement of WTC's North Tower. Another
example of bombings was on August 7, 1998, when two American embassies in
Africa were bombed by Islamic terrorists. The bombings claimed the lives of over
200 innocent people, including 12 American citizens, and injured over 5,000 civilians.
Terrorists can also use materials that are readily available to the average consumer
to construct a bomb.

Kidnappings and Hostage taking

Terrorists use kidnapping and hostage taking to establish a bargaining position and
to elicit publicity. Kidnapping is one of the most difficult acts for a terrorist group to
accomplish, but, if a kidnapping is successful, it can gain terrorists money, release
of jailed comrades, and publicity for an extended period. Hostage taking involves the
seizure of a facility or location and the taking of hostages. Unlike a kidnapping,
hostage taking provokes a confrontation with authorities. It forces authorities to either
make dramatic decisions or to comply with the terrorist's demands. It is overt and
designed to attract and hold media attention. The terrorist's intended target is the
audience affected by the hostage's confinement, not the hostage.
Nuclear / Radiological / Biological / Chemical terrorist attacks
Historically, terrorist attacks using nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons
have been rare. Due the extremely high number of casualties that NBC weapons
produce, they are also referred to as weapons of mass destruction (WMD). However,
a number of nations are involved in arms races with neighboring countries be- cause
they view the development of WMD as a key deterrent of attack by hostile neighbors.
The increased development of WMD also increases the potential for terrorist groups
to gain access to WMD. It is believed that in the future terrorists will have greater
access to WMD because unstable nations or states may fail to safeguard their
stockpiles of WMD from accidental losses, illicit sales, or outright theft or seizure.
Determined terrorist groups can also gain access to WMD through covert
independent research efforts or by hiring technically skilled professionals to
construct the WMD. Though not technically weapons of mass destruction, but
terrorists could also use non-weapons grade radioative nuclear material (like that
from medical use or waste from energy production) to create a "dirty bomb" which,
though not destructive on a nuclear scale would render the impacted areas
uninhabitable due to radiation.
How to prevent terrorism?
Promote quality education and religious and cultural tolerance
UNESCO has a leading role to play in the essential area of education and the promotion of
tolerance, inter alia through inter-religious and intra-religious dialogue. It should expand existing
programs to strengthen the capacity of education systems around the world to integrate
education on human rights, internationally shared values, mutual understanding, conflict
prevention and critical thinking in each of the aspects of human rights. State educational systems,
including through the development of standards on curriculum, the training of teachers and the
approval of school textbooks.

Oppose the financing of terrorism

Various organizations of the United Nations and their partners, in particular the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Interpol
are already working to ensure that States have the necessary laws and institutions to fully comply
with international norms and obligations related to the fight against money laundering and the
financing of terrorism.

Ensure the safety of transport

Terrorist groups have long been particularly interested in carrying out attacks against essential
infrastructure, including transport systems and the transport of passengers and goods by sea and
by air. Several entities of the United Nations system related to transport, in particular the
International Maritime Organization (IMO), the World Customs Organization (WCO) and ICAO,
already play an essential role in strengthening the capacity of Member States to protect
themselves in areas ranging from container safety to protection against the use of portable air
defense systems. I particularly welcome the adoption in 2004 of an improved International
Security Code for ships and port facilities, the fulfillment of which is entrusted to IMO.

Strengthen the capacity of the State to prevent terrorists from acquiring nuclear, biological,
chemical or radiological materials, and ensure a better preparation for the case of an attack of that
nature
The International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons have been assisting States in building capacity to prevent terrorists from accessing
nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological materials, and to effectively respond to them. case of
an attack in which these materials are used.