NCJ Number
122515
Journal
Terrorism Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: (1988) Pages: 333-334
Date Published
1988
Length
2 pages
Annotation
The United States is a prime target for Marxist-Leninist and Islamic fundamentalist terrorism because American foreign policy urges other governments to institute reform and to commit to political stability, concepts which are anathema to terrorists.
Abstract
Libya, Syria, and Iran are the leading State sponsors of terrorism. Despite a total of 774 international terrorist incidents in 1986, in many countries the public does not show much concern about terrorism as most targets are not ordinary citizens, for example, government officials and institutions; members of the military, the judiciary, and the security forces; and controversial individuals or sectors of society. There was a decrease in terrorism during the first six months of 1987 in every region of the world which some experts attribute to the April 1986 U.S. raid against Libya as well as improved intelligence and greater international cooperative counterterrorism efforts. On the other hand, terrorist attacks are becoming more lethal and sophisticated and their perpetrators are developing more effective political strategies that must be continually countered.