Blog Post 1: Terrorism

Terrorism is a subject that has been in the media a lot. Currently, it is still being reported on and the threat is great. Terrorism needs more attention for people to understand what it has become. Terrorists are more advanced in the technology they use and can strike from anywhere. The worldwide threat is very real. The reason for this is that it has become more scattered and as a result more dangerous. This link will give you an idea of the evolving nature of terrorism.

There are a great number of people who are affected by terrorism. Of course, this number can be small if the terrorist plans it that way. A lot of times terrorists will target things that will attract a large amount of media attention. Media attention gives them the ability to get their message out. It can also dramatize the struggle, which can provide support from sympathizers to their cause. The amount of people that can be affected could be in the thousands or many more. A good example is the September 11, 2001 attacks. According to the New York Times, this attack claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people. Here is a quick link to the article.

Another area to talk about is the financial aspect of terrorism. Terrorism needs money and lots of it to function. Funding for terrorism is gained through many ways. According to Jonathan White, examples are: robbery, kidnapping, extortion, fraud, larceny, smuggling, drugs, forgery, counterfeiting, state-sponsorship, underground channels, organized crime and charities. Some of those should be startling for us to see. The most startling of these examples are government sponsorships and the possibility that money you have donated to charity could be supporting terrorism.

Attacks from terrorists have become more and more bold. The September 11, 2001 attacks should show you this. The reality of terrorism is that this problem will not go away. With advancements in technology terrorists will become more deadly. The most powerful weapon used by terrorists is probably the media. The media can be used to benefit their cause and doesn’t cost them anything. The future of terrorism is one that will continue to evolve and because of this it will become a greater threat. In order for us to combat terrorism we must also evolve and educate society on the severity of its threat.

Works Cited: White. Jonathan R. Terrorism and Homeland Security. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA. 2009.

New York Times: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/sept_11_2001/index.html

PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/front/view/1_hi.html