NCJ Number
102263
Journal
Security Management Volume: 30 Issue: 4 Dated: (April 1986) Pages: 36-41
Date Published
1986
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article defines terrorism, identifies indigenous terrorist groups in Western European countries, outlines the scope of terrorism, and reviews the effectiveness of countermeasures.
Abstract
Terrorism is politically motivated, violent, criminal behavior designed to instill fear in governments and citizens; it is unequivocally inimical to the interests of the United States and Western European countries. Indigenous terrorist groups operating in Western Europe include the Provisional Irish Republican Army in Great Britain, the Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna in Spain, the Red Army Faction in West Germany, the South Moluccans in the Netherlands, and French separatist groups in Brittany and on Corsica. Rand Corporation statistics show a distinct upward trend in terrorist incidents, with an increasing number of attacks directed against people as opposed to property. Americans have become more popular terrorist targets. Countermeasures have been ineffective, because they have not destroyed terrorist networks supported by a number of governments, including Bulgaria, Syria, Iran, Libya, and Tunisia. The terrorist activities of these nations are in turn supported by the Soviet Union, which desires to destabilize the West. The defeat of terrorism would require the overthrow of the governments sponsoring it. Since this is impractical, Western countries can only spend billions upgrading security measures, which will not deter determined terrorists. 36 footnotes.