Terrorism Gets a New Look
The subject of terrorism was once
featured using a familiar image—that
of masked killers toting guns against
a backdrop of a powerful explosion.
Nowadays, however, the picture is
different.
IN THE light of
dusk, a convoy of plain
trucks moves quietly
through the subdivisions.
The trucks stop near a
school building. Soon, a
specially trained team of
men in gas masks and
chemical-protection suits
trudge through the leafy
shrubs. The only thing they know is that a small explosive device was detonated at a sports event in the
school stadium, spreading fumes that sickened
scores of spectators. In cooperation with local emergency personnel, the four men cautiously enter the
contaminated area to find out what happened. What
did the device unleash? Anthrax? Nerve gas?
This team is one of many worldwide that have
been formed in response to the changing threats and
challenges posed by terrorism. Incidents in recent
years suggest that acts of terror committed by independent groups or lone extremists are increasing.
Although many terrorists still target
military installations and diplomatic
missions, some have expanded their list
to include attacks on so-called soft targets, such as mass transportation systems, sporting events, busy urban locations, hotels, and tourist sites.
Confirming a shift in the behavior of
terrorists, Porter Goss, chairman of the
U.S. House Intelligence Committee,
observed: “We’re having to graduate
from our old thinking about statesponsored terrorism to terrorism’s new look. We’re
facing increasingly cause-sponsored terrorism.”
The men walk slowly toward the arena, bringing
with them an assortment of equipment for chemical
analysis. They reach a small room where they find
the remains of the explosive device. Their mission is
delicate, requiring the handling of tiny detection kits
and the moving of heavy objects.
Terrorism’s emerging new look embraces actions
and strategies that may be harder to prevent or combat. More and more, terrorists are able to utilize new
technologies and secure independent financing. Reports USA Today: “New computer and communications technology and links with organized crime
make terrorism even more difficult to combat.” The
new look also involves new targets, forcing reporters
and news analysts to coin such expressions as
“cyberterrorism,” “bioterrorism,” and
“ecoterrorism.”
Soon their masks steam up. The effort is taxing,
even for trained men. In less than ten minutes,
though, the residue is identified. “Positive hit on
anthrax,” affirms the chemist accompanying them.
How threatening is the new face of terrorism? Is
your personal security threatened? Is there a solution
to the plague of international terrorism? The following articles will shed some light on these questions.
The Changing Face of Terror
This event was not as dangerous as it sounds. It
was a drill, testing the team’s response to a simulated gas attack somewhere in upstate New York.
The group is one of the recently formed Weapons of
Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams. Such teams
are assigned to assess the scope and severity of a
new breed of terrorist attacks by analyzing suspected
germs, chemicals, or radioactive material.
[Footnote]
Views on what constitutes terrorism vary widely.
For example, in countries torn apart by civil
strife, acts of violence by one faction against
another may be viewed either as legitimate acts
of war or as terrorism, depending on which side
is asked. In this series of articles, the word
“terrorism” generally has reference to the use of
violence as a means of coercion.
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