Summer 2014 • H A R V A R D I N T E R N A T I O N A L R E V I E W
37
B razil
target of terrorist attacks are foreign delegations, rather
than the host nation and the local population. This was,
for instance, the logic behind the attack carried out by
militants from the Black September group at the 1972
Munich Olympic Games, when two members of the Israeli
Olympic team were killed and nine others were taken
hostage. The disastrous rescue attempt—which showed a
remarkable lack of preparation on the part of the German
police and intelligence service—resulted in the deaths of
all of the hostages and made it clear that the fight against
terrorism must not only be a permanent state policy rather
than a transient one, but must also involve international
cooperation.
On the occasion of the “Munich Massacre,” as the
episode came to be known, neither the German government nor the country’s nationals were the main target
of the terrorists, a fact which did not prevent the attack
from happening. The same logic applies to the less-known
episode regarding the January 2010 shooting of the Togo
national soccer team bus that took place as the team traveled through the Angolan province of Cabinda on its way
over
characteristics, or even to promote an ethnic cleansing,
among other objectives. The concept of political objective is thus comprehensive enough to include ideological,
libertarian, and religious motivations. In the absence
of a political objective and a continuous and systematic
line of action, any violent action directed toward civilian
populations should not be considered terrorism, but mere
terror acts, criminal acts, or even acts of insanity. Having
this distinction in mind is crucial for those charged with
countering the terrorist threat at all levels, as the design,
implementation, and execution of policies and programs
can differ greatly according to the nature of these two
phenomena.
However, the characteristics of the terrorist phenomenon are even more important that its definition. Its first
trait is its indiscriminate nature. Anyone can be a potential
target or an enemy of a terrorist cause, regardless of gender, age, or role in the society. Unpredictability is another
symptomatic feature. As a rule of thumb and with notably
rare exceptions, it is not possible to know beforehand when
and how a terrorist attack will take place. Violent actions
T errorism H angs
“However, if the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States
have taught us anything, it is that no country is immune to
terrorism. Neglecting the terrorist phenomenon...is the worst
mistkae that policy makers could possibly make. ”
of
that occur suddenly instill widespread fear and feelings
of continuous vulnerability in the population. For this
reason, terrorists seeks to sow panic in a society and to
exploit its population’s relative fragility, its constant state
of anxiety, and the intense reaction provoked by attacks
against civilian targets. Another common feature is the
brutality and the ferocity of terrorist acts, as well as the
extreme gravity of their consequences, measures deemed
necessary to draw attention to their cause and, thus, to
its success. It is not an exaggeration to say that terrorism
can be considered a form of psychological warfare whose
aim is to undermine opposition to their final objectives.
Terrorists do not necessarily intend to kill their victims;
they have a target audience that reaches far beyond the
immediate victims. They wish to shock, intimidate, and
terrify the population, leaving them in a state of permanent
insecurity, tension, and fear. Therefore, according to this
distorted terrorist logic, any challenged government or
authority, under pressure from a shaken public opinion,
would be more prone to negotiate and make concessions.
These characteristics and the huge amount of attention dedicated to an event of the magnitude and international reach of the FIFA World Cup make it an extremely
attractive target for terrorist organizations. Historical
records indicate that in such sporting events the primary
T he T hreat
perception. However, if the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the
United States have taught us anything, it is that no country
is immune to terrorism. Neglecting the terrorist phenomenon, especially when combined with lack of knowledge
regarding its essential features, is the worst mistake that
policy makers could possibly make.
First of all, it is important to emphasize that “terrorism” and “terror acts” refer to different phenomena,
even though the terms are commonly used as synonyms.
For operational purposes, “terrorism” can be understood
here as the systematic and intentional use of violence—or
the threat of use of violence—against civilian populations
(including non-combatant military personnel) and targets
in order to pursue political objectives. Although the concept of terrorism still remains extremely controversial,
the definition presented here involves two basic elements.
First, the essence of the terrorist activity consists of the use
of violence or the threat of its use, which excludes strikes,
protests, and other peaceful demonstrations. Second, regardless of the tactics employed, the goals of the terrorist
activity are always political: to topple a government, to
influence and alter government decisions, to separate a
territory from an existing political entity, to replace an
established order with a new social or political structure, to
segregate people seen as different based on racial or ethnic
DARK SHADOWS:
FEATURES