Domestic terrorism

Domestic terrorism is the commission of terrorist attacks in a state by forces inside or originating from that state, as opposed to terrorist attacks by forces external to the state. All attempts or successes at assassinating government heads or officials are clear examples of domestic terrorism. Other examples of domestic terrorist attacks include the Oklahoma City bombing, the pipebombing during the Atlanta Olympics, and the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. Historical examples include the Gunpowder Plot, the Haymarket Square bombing, the Watts Riots, and Harper's Ferry.

In the United States, domestic terrorism is a rarity, with race riots being a far more common form of political violence. As a result, when a terrorist attack occurs, often the first reaction is to presume that it was committed by foreigners. That presumption was made in the case of the Oklahoma City bombing, for which Islamist terrorists were initially blamed. The revelation that the attack was actually committed by white American neo-nazis was a shock to the people of the United States and served as an embarrassment to the United States media. However some investigators now contend that although the bombings were perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh with the help of his accomplice Terry Nichols, they did have ties to Islamic terrorism through Ramzi Youssef, the Al Qaeda operative who planned the 1993 WTC bombing, and through a series of meetings with Islamic terror group Abu-Sayef members in the Philippines.

It is of notable interest to consider the political expediency of declaring violent actions to be terrorism. Throughout history many actions against the existing establishment have been, in their day, considered terrorism. History has in some cases judged them differently. While most people disapprove of acts of violence against civilians, others have concluded that human history shows that violence is sometimes the only means to effect change.

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Categories: Terrorism