Terrorism. Basic concepts, terms and definitions. Terrorism is an extreme form of extremism

On Oct 17, 2024 12

Terrorism is a policy based on a systematic use of terror. Synonyms for the word “terror” (Latin terror – fear, horror) are the words “violence”, “intimidation”. In Russian legislation, terrorism is defined as an ideology of violence and practice of influencing public consciousness, decision-making by state authorities, local governments or international organizations associated with population intimidation and/or other forms of illegal violent actions.

In the USA legislation it is defined as premeditated, politically motivated violence committed against civilians or targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually with a goal of influencing the mood of society.

Terrorism is a multi-objective crime, the main goal of which is public safety, as well as attacks on:

life and health of citizens;
critical infrastructure facilities;
natural environment;
information environment;
government bodies;
government and public figures.

The main method of terroristic activity is blackmailing (intimidation) of authorities and population with the risk of death, causing significant property damage, or occurrence of other socially dangerous consequences, carried out in order to violate public safety and influence adoption of decisions by authorities that are beneficial to terrorists.

Terrorist experts today identify the following main areas of modern terrorism:

Political (social) terrorism is a tactic of political struggle involving the use of threat by political subjects of organized violence in order radically or partially change constitutional system or economic order in the country. The subjects of political terrorism, as a rule, are radical political parties, individual groups within parties or public associations, extremist organizations that deny legal forms of political struggle and rely on forceful pressure.

Nationalist terrorism – is expressed in assertion of certain nation or race’s superiority is aimed at inciting national intolerance, discrimination against representatives of other peoples and pursues the goal of ousting another nation through intimidation and getting rid of its power.

Nationalist terrorism is organically connected with separatism aimed at changing the existing state structure, legal status of national-state or administrative-territorial entities, violating territorial unity of the country, withdrawal of certain territorial units from the state, and formation of their own independent state.

Religious terrorism manifests itself in extreme intolerance towards representatives of different faiths or irreconcilable confrontation within the same faith.

Today there are about 200 types of modern terroristic activities.

The main ones are:

technological terrorism;
criminal terrorism;
cyber terrorism.

The most dangerous is technological terrorism, which involves the use or threat of nuclear, chemical and bacteriological weapons, radioactive and highly toxic chemicals and biological substances, as well as the threat of seizure of nuclear and other industrial facilities that pose an increased danger to human life and health. In terms of a degree of destructiveness, nuclear terrorism is particularly dangerous, consisting of deliberate actions of individuals, groups or organizations and even some states aimed at creating a sense of fear among people, an emergence of dissatisfaction with authorities or other entities associated with (threat of use) of dangerous properties of nuclear weapons. weapons, nuclear materials, radioactive substances.

Bioterrorism is the use by terrorists of pathogens of dangerous infections that can cause large-scale epidemics in the shortest possible time.

Environmental terrorism is an impact of terrorists on natural environment, where in the future human existence will be difficult or completely impossible. Some dangers are planetary in nature, leading to irreversible consequences.

Criminal terrorism – consists of the use of methods of violence and intimidation borrowed from the practice of terrorist organizations by criminals. The main subjects of criminal terrorism are organized criminal communities of a national character, which use intimidation and violence as the main means of influencing government officials and their business competitors in order to redistribute spheres of influence, property and financial flows.

Forms of manifestation: contract killings, showdowns between the main competing groups, violent extortion, etc.

Cyberterrorism – is one of the forms of high-tech terrorism.

This form of terrorism is of particular concern to experts due to a high vulnerability of computer systems for managing critical infrastructure (transport, nuclear power plants, water supply and energy)

Classification of terrorism by types of means used:

ordinary, using conventional means of destruction, including explosives;
electromagnetic, which is carried out using generating installations of powerful electromagnetic radiation, affecting both people and certain technological systems of infrastructure facilities;
cybernetic, which uses special “virus programs” to disable or disrupt normal functioning of computer networks;
informational, carried out using a media source and other information means in order to escalate a negative situation in society, disintegration of certain groups in it;
economic, carried out with the aim of destabilizing an economy and financial sphere of the subject of a terrorist act;
nuclear, chemical and biological, using components of weapons of mass destruction: nuclear fissile substances (“waste” of nuclear energy) and nuclear explosive devices; hazardous chemicals and biological agents. These types of terrorism also include sabotage at nuclear (NPP), chemical and biological dangerous facilities.

The main trends in the development of modern terrorism are:

expansion of a geography of terrorism in the world and its internationalization;
strengthening mutual influence of various internal and external social, political, economic and other factors contributing to an emergence and spread of terrorism;
increasing the level of organization of terrorist activities, creating large terrorist formations with developed infrastructure;
strengthening the relationship between terrorism and organized crime;
growth of financial and logistical support for terroristic structures;
desire of terroristic actors to acquire means of mass people destruction;
attempts to use terrorism as a tool of interference in an internal affairs of states;
use of international non-governmental organizations by terroristic actors;
development and improvement of new forms and methods of terrorism aimed at expanding the scope and consequences of terroristic acts and increasing number of victims.

Subjects of terrorism, methods of committing terroristic acts:

Subjects of terrorism are organizations, as well as individuals (groups of persons) that organize and carry out terroristic activities (or contribute to its preparation and conduct) aimed at causing damage to the interests of an individual, society and state protected by the laws of the Russian Federation.

Methods of committing terroristic acts – a certain order and sequence of means and techniques used by a terroristic (group or organization) to commit a terrorist act.

The most typical methods of terroristic activity:

attack, carried out both openly and from ambush;
mining of industrial, transport, communications, military facilities, residential and administrative buildings;
mining places of permanent location or routes of movement of the object of a criminal attack;
use of explosives and toxic substances camouflaged as household items, as well as in postal parcels or parcels addressed to a specific person (victim);
armed hostage taking;
distribution of radioactive, chemical, biological and other hazardous substances and their components harmful to human health;
application of computer and information technologies elements.

Kodirova Matluba Abdusatorovna,

assistant of foreing language TSULBP