Terrorism Descriptive Narrative

Introduction

Terrorism both domestic and international represents the use of violence and intimidation by groups or individuals with the aim of attaining a specific political or social objective of capturing the attention of larger audiences rather than the immediate victims of the terror attack (Enders, Sandler and Gaibulloev, 2011). The United States continuously faces numerous threats of both domestic and foreign terror attacks. The terror groups analyzed in this case entails Al Qaeda and the Tsarnaev brothers.

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`Al Qaeda's origin can be traced to the 1980's from the anti-Soviet movement that later spread the war to most parts of the world in the name of "jihad." The goal of the campaign meant to unite the squabbling extremist groups to launch a united resistance against the local and international enemy believed to be the west (specifically the United States) (Burke, 2017). Currently, Al Qaeda actively recruits individuals and disillusions them on the obtaining of paradise by committing terror acts such as mass murder. The main terror activity carried out by Al Qaeda (under their leader Osama Bin Laden) on US soil is the 9/11 attack. During the attack, four planes were and used as guided missiles directed at different places in the United States.

Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are brothers of Chechen origin who were later assimilated in the American society after an expiration of the 90 days visa granted to their parents. The two brothers were suspected to be involved in the Boston marathon bombing of 2013 which left 264 people injured and 3 dead (Gessen, 2015). After the declaration by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that the brothers were involved in the terror and a manhunt was on, the brothers hijacked an SUV and killed a police officer during a shootout at Watertown (Boston Suburb). According to the Federal accusation, the Tamerlan died during the shooting and partly from injuries sustained after Dzhokhar driving over him while escaping. Dzhokhar was later found in a boat in which he was hiding from the police. The terror act was painful to contemplate by both relatives and friends of the Tsarnaev brothers (Gessen, 2015). Dzhokhar like most college students was famous among his peers and it's even believed he sold marijuana in University of Massachusetts (Parker and Bidgoodjan, 2015).

Like most of the factions of Al Qaeda, the actions of the brothers are believed to be an influence of Islamic extremism. Tamerlan is also thought to have influenced Dzhokhar along religious extremism as a way of religious devotion (Parker and Bidgoodjan, 2015). The brothers thought that the political ideology of the American population is oppressive (Gessen, 2015). Therefore, the bombing was considered by the brother as a means of retaliation (Gessen, 2015); a notion that is equally shared by Al Qaeda whose role is to retaliate against the oppression of the west and the killing of Arabs. The evolution of terrorism is evolving in both cases due to the development of the internet and social media platforms. The internet has made it possible for radicalizing members through publications and messaging platforms. Al Qaeda uses the media, in particular, to attract potential sympathizers to their ranks and train them to carry attacks both within their domestic soil and internationally (Burke, 2017).

Unlike Al Qaeda which operates on larger boundaries, the two brothers carried out terror activities within their home city of Boston. The funding of the operations by the brothers was considered to be from their pockets and friends. The latter differs from the activities of Al Qaeda which utilize a more decentralized funding system that entails sympathizers, donors, investments, and affiliates. Additionally, the strategic planning and tactic to the way Al Qaeda and the Tsarnaev brothers attained their objective vary to a great extent. The two brothers planted explosives at the Boston Marathon and sought to escape after the explosion, however, during the 9/11 terrorist plan was more sophisticated as their target were significant areas in the United States that were highly secure. A solid plan had to be orchestrated on how to kidnap the planes and use them as guided missiles.

Citizens of a nation who believe that the government in power is not for them, and the constraints from the government do not apply to them are much worse at committing terror acts as their persistence and resolution to harm is concrete. The possibilities of an event such as 9/11 to be repeated where lives were lost in thousands are very unlikely though not impossible. The increased surveillance and effort to cripple major terrorist organizations deter their activities. Attacks caused by citizens of a nation is on the other hand much harder to pinpoint (Irby, 2017). The far enemy can easily turn the closest friend into an enemy if domestic terror groups are not discouraged. Therefore, the persistence of small local and extremist groups motivated along racial lines, religion or Nazism needs to be curbed before dealing with the far enemy.

Conclusion

The acts suspected to have been carried by Al Qaeda and the Tsarnaev brothers drains the resources of a nation, destroys lives in countless ways and builds hatred and discrimination towards other members of the society. Therefore, the vigilance of the society in identifying potential terror suspects, outing them to the security personnel and judging such acts individually rather than belonging to a particular race or religion will go a long way in creating better societies both now and in the future.

References

Burke, J. (2017). The new threat: The past, present, and future of Islamic militancy. The New Press.

Enders, W., Sandler, T., & Gaibulloev, K. (2011). Domestic versus transnational terrorism: Data, decomposition, and dynamics. Journal of Peace Research, 48(3), 319-337.

Gessen, Masha (2015). The Tsarnaev Brothers: The Road to a Modern Tragedy by Masha Gessen - extract. The Guardian. Retrieved on 28th June 2018 from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/30/tsarnaev-brothers-book-extract-masha-gessen

Parker, Diantha, and Bidgoodjan, Jess (2015). Boston Marathon Bombing: What We Know. The New York Times. Retrieved on 28th June 2018 from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/02/us/boston-marathon-bombings-trial-what-you-need-to-know.html

Irby Kate (2017). What are the FBI's top domestic terrorism concerns for 2018?. The Sacramental Bee. Retrieved on 27th May 2018 from https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article191127799.html

Bibliography

Burke, J. (2017). The new threat: The past, present, and future of Islamic militancy. The New Press.

Jason Burke analyzes and gives a detailed overview of the contemporary Muslim activism and extremism. He outlines the activities of various terror organizations and highlights the motive behind their actions and their reality as threats. The author also hints at the future of extremism and how it manifests in the modern world.

Enders, W., Sandler, T., & Gaibulloev, K. (2011). Domestic versus transnational terrorism: Data, decomposition, and dynamics. Journal of Peace Research, 48(3), 319-337.

The journal describes domestic and transitional terrorism and the possible implications the two may pose to an economy. The two types of terrorism are also separated and methods of dealing with each analyzed by looking at the various ways they manifest and inflict harm.

Gessen, Masha (2015). The Tsarnaev Brothers: The Road to a Modern Tragedy by Masha Gessen - extract. The Guardian. Retrieved on 28th June 2018 from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/30/tsarnaev-brothers-book-extract-masha-gessen.

Masha tries to explain and create an understanding of the events that unfolded resulting to the Tsarnaev brothers involvement in the Boston Marathon Bombing. The book article tries to sieve the misinformation and rumors related to the bombing as it considers the responses of all individuals close to the suspected bombers.

Parker, Diantha, and Bidgoodjan, Jess (2015). Boston Marathon Bombing: What We Know. The New York Times. Retrieved on 28th June 2018 from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/02/us/boston-marathon-bombings-trial-what-you-need-to-know.html.

Parker and Bidgoodjan collected relevant information about the Tsarnaev brothers ranging from family history, assimilation into the US, relations with relatives and friend, the turning point to becoming extremists and potential planning timeframe before the bombing. The article gives an insight into the lives of the brothers and explicitly discusses their motivations and aftermath effects of their actions.

Irby Kate (2017). What are the FBI's top domestic terrorism concerns for 2018?. The Sacramental Bee. Retrieved on 27th May 2018 from https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article191127799.html.

Kate's article updated on January 2018 provides an insight of the top list of FBI's Domestic terror concerns. The author examines home-grown extremist movements, Lone wolfs and other radical movements and the threat they pose to the United States. Examples and acts committed by each group(s) are also presented.