trouble spots on the planet. It provokes, prolongs, or
entrenches conflicts, and it accelerates the cycle of
violence.
Terrorism can also have an impact on national
economies. Governments have been forced to spend
enormous amounts of time and resources to combat it.
For example, in the United States alone, antiterrorism
spending was budgeted at more than ten billion dollars for the year 2000.
Whether we notice it or not, terrorism affects us
all. It influences the way we travel and the choices we
make when we travel. It forces countries around the
world to spend huge amounts of tax money to protect
public figures, vital installations, and citizens.
Ecoterrorists frustrate investigators by hitting remote
targets, often at night, and leaving little evidence but
charred ruins. Until recently, crimes in the name of
environmental protection had limited, local impact
and drew little attention. But targets have grown larger in recent years. “The objective of these people is
to bring attention to their cause for change,” said special agent James N. Damitio, a veteran U.S. Forest
Service investigator. “And if they don’t feel like
they’re getting that attention, they try something
else.”
So the question remains, Is there a lasting solution
to the scourge of terrorism? This will be discussed in
the next article.
Terrorism in the Name of Ecology
A new type of terror has taken the form of “arsons,
bombings and sabotage in the name of saving the environment and its creatures,” reports the Oregonian
newspaper. These destructive acts have been called
ecoterrorism. At least a hundred major acts of this
type have occurred in the western United States since
1980, with damages totaling $42.8 million. Such
crimes are typically intended to disrupt logging, the
recreational use of wilderness areas, or the use of animals for fur, food, or research.
These acts are considered terrorist acts because they
involve violence intended to change the behavior of
individuals and institutions or to alter public policies.
Terrorism and the Media
“Publicity has been at once a primary goal and a
weapon of those who use terror against innocent people to advance political causes or to simply cause
chaos,” says Terry Anderson, a journalist who was
held in captivity for nearly seven years by terrorists in
Lebanon. “The very reporting of a political kidnapping, an assassination or a deadly bombing is a first
victory for the terrorist. Without the world’s attention,
these acts of viciousness are pointless.”
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