Terrorism: September 11

             Since the events of September 11th 2001, the world has been forced to examine itself, its institutions, and values in the light of the terrorist attack. The nature of warfare is being reexamined as a result of terrorism. What role has the United States played in giving rise to Osama Bin Ladin? In what way has he called into question the meaning of the Koran and the tenets of Islam, which he uses as his justification for his attacks. Could these events have been prevented by another course of action on the part of the Western powers? If one is to defeat terrorism in any form, they must seek a better cure to the problem. In the latest news reports the military action in Afghanistan has not been successful in changing the course of terrorism. Then perhaps another approach to responding to the ideology that led to these events is needed.
             Terrorism, definition:.
             To understand terrorism one must answer the question of what constitutes terrorism, this has been raised by the events of September 11. The definition of terrorism has been debated on an international level for many years. In 1937 the League of Nation proposed that it be "all criminal acts directed against a State and intended or calculated to create a state of terror in the minds of particular persons or a group of persons of the general public." The United Nations Resolution 1999 also used the term criminal. Yet the issue still remains as to what constitutes a criminal, for it can be argued "one person's terrorist, is another states freedom fighter." On a daily basis the media carries reports about terrorist bombings by suicide bombers, killing civilians in a Tel Aviv restaurant. The media also use the term terrorist attacks. When the Israeli Defense Force seeks out the terrorists who are hiding in civilian refugee camps. Both sides believe that what they are doing does not constitute terrorism. The Palestinian suicide bombers regard themselves as soldiers in a war for independence, while the Israeli army considers their actions as legitimate retaliatory actions against "terrorists", hiding in civilian refuge camps.