Rockridge High School
Taylor Ridge, Illinois
Teacher: Mrs. Downey
Subject: Terrorism
Can it be
stopped absent a valid definition
and can it be defined?
By Brian Krup
12th Grade
Can Terrorism Be Stopped?
Four hijacked planes...the World Trade Center...the Pentagon...a lonely field eighty miles south of Pittsburgh...all of these things bring back vivid memories of September 11, 2001, when America was confronted with the worst terrorist attack in its history. After these recent attacks, many people ask themselves whether terrorism can actually be defined and if it can be stopped, but most are not quite sure about either one. I feel, however, that terrorism cannot be defined and stopped.
According to the Encarta World Dictionary, terrorism means "violence or the threat of violence, especially bombing, kidnapping, and assassination, carried out for political purposes." Can any average American actually define the term terrorism though? If someone were to approach me on the street and ask me to define terrorism, the only thing I would be able to do is tell them to recall the incidents that shocked the nation and world on September 11, 2001. After that unforgettable day, no other words will be able to define that term accurately. If this event had never occurred, I would be absolutely clueless about what to say if asked to define that powerful term.
Every time the word "terrorism" is used in a sentence, most Americans feel the goosebumps creeping over their flesh. Distinct images of the planes colliding into the World Trade Center buildings, the towers crumbling to the ground, debris and dust clouding the streets of New York bring back chilling memories of the worst day in American history.
Many Americans, after the attack, ponder on whether acts of terrorism can be stopped. Of course, the security at airports, schools, office buildings, etc., will be tightened after an attack of any sort, but several months or even years later, that tightened security is going to dwindle. When the government and/or proper officials realize the success of their movement to prevent any more problems or attacks from taking place, they will slowly become less aware to a point where something is going to slip by and another attack is going to occur.
Also, terrorism cannot be stopped for the obvious reason that countries will always remain jealous of us. As the unknown author of Why Do Terrorists Attack? states, “We are also the most visible and powerful country on the planet, strutting our wealth in countless ways…” This is so true! Lower income countries are jealous of the wealth that we do, in fact, strut around. The author also happens to mention how “short order cooks in this country live better than ninety percent of the population of countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan.” This means that one of the worst paying jobs in the United States is better than nearly all the jobs in the extremely low income countries around the world.
The author also reminds readers how the United States “shot down two Libyan planes…bombed Beirut…bombed Libya….sank an Iranian ship…shot down two more Libyan planes…bombed Iraq repeatedly…” All of these incidents were carried out within a span of two decades, the earliest occurring in 1981, the most recent in 1998. These countries will never forget what we have done in the past if they become really mad or even more jealous. They will seek out revenge, the whole time keeping in mind exactly how we had reigned terror upon their country.
Another reason terrorism cannot be stopped is that once one terrorist is caught, another will show up somewhere and cause even more damage. “Hitting religious extremists is like hitting those little mice at the arcade: smack one down and two others pop up elsewhere.” Here, the unknown author is talking about religious extremists, but this also refers to terrorists. So many people these days are followers and copy cats that one person someday will try to reenact a terrorist attack he/she heard or learned about, whether it be September 11 or a different one. It is an extremely sad but true reality that there are people in this world twisted enough to follow in the footsteps of a man such as Osama Bin Laden.
The Ku Klux Klan is an example of a terrorist group that cannot be stopped. There are many other terrorist groups like this that cannot be stopped as well, but the Klan is one of the most recognized hate crime groups. This group focuses on racial hatred, and providing harm and humiliation to African Americans. They terrorize black families and sometimes actually cause death to these people. They call black men, women, and children racial slurs and vandalize their property. Groups like these can never be eliminated due to the fact that they are so widespread and populous. Stopping them would be very difficult and clearly unimaginable. Each member of each different group would have to be tracked down and dealt with. According to the Encarta Online Encyclopedia, there were five thousand estimated Klan members at the end of the 1980s. (That is the most recent statistic I found, so that number could possibly be larger today.)
After addressing several different reasons why terrorism cannot be stopped, I can sum it all up: terrorism cannot be stopped due to its broadness. There are so many things that can be considered a “terrorist attack.” I have mentioned the September 11, 2001, attack numerous times and groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. But anything that inflicts pain and suffering on a person can be testified as terrorism. A rape case, which causes emotional and physical suffering to a person, can easily be considered a terrorist attack on someone.
I want to express my deepest sympathy to all of the families who lost loved ones in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The whole country came to a halt trying to realize the horror the country had just experienced. The professional sports world postponed games for the following week, the first time games had been postponed since D-Day, June 6, 1944. The economy, which had already been experiencing a downfall, suffered even more. The New York Stock Exchange suspended trading the day of the attack and closed the next three trading days for the first time since August 16 and 17, 1945, in order to honor VJ Day during World War II. Many Americans would like to comfort themselves by believing that terrorism can be stopped, but in reality, they know it cannot.
Questions
Q1 - Why, in your opinion, was the United States attacked? I think the United States was attacked for a couple of reasons. One is that other countries are jealous of our wealth. The second is how we bombed Middle Eastern countries back in the 1980s and in the 1990s.
Q2 - Why is the first question so important to resolve and agree upon? It is important to resolve these to stop terrorist attacks, but terrorism cannot be stopped. With all of our advances in technology, we will always remain the wealthiest country in the world. Without a doubt, other countries will remain jealous of that.
Q3 - What action or inaction by the United States and its allies, in the author’s opinion, increased the likelihood of chemical and biological attacks? When the United States and its allies backed down from Saddam Hussein’s refusal to allow inspections of suspected Iraqi weapons manufacturing facilities. America’s unwillingness to press forward with those inspections is going to come back to haunt us.
Q4 - Why does the author believe the United States is a popular target for terrorists? Bin Laden thinks that the only legitimate form of government is a caliphate led by a Muslim cleric who provides not only absolute moral authority but political authority as well. We are clearly a non-Islamic government.
Q5 - What motivates terrorists, in the author’s opinion? If we find it almost impossible to comprehend how people could do something so terrible to other people, we may be unwilling to face the fact they could poison the Chicago water supply, release anthrax in Seattle that would cause the agonizing suffocation of hundreds of thousands, or set off a nuclear device in New York to finish what they believe they’d barely started on September 11.
Q6 - What reasons does the author give for the intense hatred of the United States by people like Osama bin Laden? We are the most visible and powerful country on the planet, and as the author states, “strutting our wealth around in countless ways...” Also, the author states that a short order cook in the United States live better than ninety percent of the population in countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Q7 - How does rule by divine right preclude the reasoned debate that occurs naturally in a democracy? It takes away people’s rights. They cannot think or act any other way then what they are ordered and expected.
Q8 - What evidence does the author offer that the terrorism visited upon the United States on September 11, 2001 was based on religious rather than political fanaticism? We have gotten no demands and have been offered no negotiation.
Q9 - What is a fatwah? A fatwah is an explicit religious order.
Q10 - Why does the author think new attacks are likely and how does he/she suggest we stop them? The spectacularly visible success of the September 11, 2001 attacks, bolstered by the glory that will be heaped on the perpetrator’s names and their families, will provide powerful motivation for those planning fresh assaults for years to come. We have to give this some more thought before we go off and shoot ourselves in the foot.
Q11 - Why does the author claim that declaring war is futile? What two historical examples does he/she give to back up this claim? America has a great track record for fighting full-out wars, but there are two conditions under which our record is abysmal. One is when we can’t identify the enemy geographically and the other is when we try to fight on a limited basis. The War on Drugs, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf.
Q12 - Complete this sentence using the author’s words: “A declaration of war implies. . . ...a conflict of limited duration in which one side eventually surrenders or capitulates and the other side wins.”
Q13 - What does the author suggest we do? We have to defend ourselves. We also have to understand that religious terrorists do not fight according to the Geneva Convention. They don’t present their cases at the UN, they don’t negotiate, they’re not democracies, they have little regard for their own lives and those of their people because they’re fixated on a rewarded afterlife, and they have even less regard for our lives because we’re devils.
Q14 - Explain the significance of the Coventry story. Churchill knew about the attack but did not send in army to protect the town because the Germans would know their messages were being broken. Churchill did not move the military in or warn the town of Coventry about the attack. The losses were terrible, but Churchill’s decision may very well have won the war, and almost certainly shortened it. Maybe the CIA knew that there was going to be a terrorist attack, but said nothing to prevent a worse outcome.
Q15 - Suppose you were a general in a combat situation. Could you “consort with evil to prevent larger evil”? Why or why not? Yes, I would consort with evil to prevent larger evil for the mere fact that less damage could be caused and more lives could be saved. I am not a twisted human being, but I would rather see five hundred people die than three thousand.
Q16 - The author says something is un-American. What is it? Do you think the author is correct? Please write out your own definition of un-American. Turning our anger on them because of our frustration in being unable to get at the real villains. Yes, I think that the author is correct. My definition of un-American is not following rules and regulations that every American should follow.
Q17 - Do you agree that terrorism must be defined adequately in order to be stopped? Yes, I do agree that it needs to be defined adequately, taking into consideration that kidnapping, assassination, and rape can also be classified as a terrorist attack. Like I have mentioned numerous times, there is too much that is considered terrorism, therefore it will never be able to be stopped.
Q18 - How important do you think it is for you to research, discuss and consider the definition of terrorism? Are you willing to spend the time it takes to give your definition your very best effort? Why or why not? It is pretty important because it makes me think about things I normally do not think about. I live day to day just thinking I am safe, when in fact there are people throughout the world whose main goal is to kill in the name of a God or for political reasons. Yes, because it could possibly lead to the stoppage of terrorism, but as I have said too many times, terrorism cannot be stopped.
Q19 - Were you able to define terrorism in your essay without admitting that the United States has been guilty of terrorist acts? According to Encarta World Dictionary, the United States has been guilty of terrorist acts. I, personally, was not able to define it very technically, therefore not accusing the United States of terrorist acts.
Q20 - Are you optimistic about the future? Will you pledge to do your part in pursuing mutual understanding? Why or why not? Once again, I am not twisted or anything, but I am not really optimistic about the future. Terrorist attacks are so broad and range from a kidnapping all the way up to something like September 11, 2001. There is no way that terrorism can be stopped. I wish it could, but the reality is that it cannot. Like I discussed in my paper, security will eventually dwindle off and something will happen, maybe worse than the World Trade Center incident. I will do my best to pursue mutual understanding because I would like to one day see terrorism stopped, but as long as kidnapping and rape are considered terrorist attacks, it cannot be stopped.