Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[brainlessone]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374289352/103-8068113-6399822?v=glance&n=283155&%5Fencodin....

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Understanding terrorism

By PAJ Waddington

Terrorism is difficult for many of us to comprehend. Something so horrifying must exist in a universe of its own and explaining it requires us to grasp its sinister peculiarities.

Among the spectrum of movements they study are many that resort to violence to some degree. A few even go so far as to engage in terrorism. What is striking are the continuities across this broad range. Here I want to focus on just one of them - ideology.

There is no shortage of ideologues out there, but fortunately the vast majority fail to convince anyone other than themselves. Even the most successful only succeed in persuading a small cadre of hardcore devotees, but they are among the most dangerous because the commitment of this militant core to a single issue justifies violence in their mind.

Denying responsibility

Techniques of neutralisation were employed repeatedly in the aftermath of the London bombings. First, there was 'denial of responsibility': delinquents, or militants are the victims of deprivation, broken homes, and the usual catalogue of 'pity me' excuses including 'alienated Muslim youth' who are adrift in a society that rejects them.

Second, this can take on the flavour of 'denial of injury': apologists for terrorism claim that the loss of a few lives in London pales into insignificance compared to the thousands killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Third, it is but a short step from this to 'denial of the victim'- 'they had it coming'. This was the message contained in the video showing Mohammed Sidique Kahn attempting to justify the 7 July bombings - he told us that we citizens of 'democratic countries' are responsible for the 'atrocities' perpetrated against 'his' people.

this is not clear to a whole bunch of people