’Terrorism Will be Defeated, but Probably not in this Century’
On December 28th a seminar on ‘Mathematical Methods of Analysis in Economics, Business and Politics'took place at the HSE. Tad Krauze, Professor in the Department of Sociology, Hofstra University, Hempstead NY, USA, delivered a lecture entitled ‘On Political Terror and Terrorism’ . Video of the event added.
Seminar chairs Fuad Aleskerov, Head of the HSE Faculty of Economics Department of Higher Mathematics, and Vladislav Podinovskiy, his Deputy, introduced Tad Krauze to the seminar participants.
Professor Krauze announced his topic - ‘On Political Terror and Terrorism'- and warned the audience that his report was not concerning mathematical models of terrorism. Moreover, he added that he was not going to talk about methods of fighting terrorism. His course of lectures in his home university is an attempt to present a sociological analysis of the nature of terrorism. During the seminar the professor gave a a short overview of topics which he covers in his course of lectures for US students.
Currently, there is no generally accepted legal definition of terrorism. In Russian jurisprudence terrorism is defined as an ideology of violence and the practice of influencing the public conscience, decision-making by state officials, local governments or international organizations - ideology and practice, connected with frightening the people and/or other forms of illegal acts of violence. In US legislation it is defined as calculated, politically motivated violence against a noncombatant target carried out by illegal agents or groups, usually intended to influence the public sentiment.
Terrorism is often considered as actions against a state. Professor Krauze considers it important to analyze government terrorism as well, which is conducted by a government or by special forces employed by that government, against the civil population. He believes that phenomena such as genocide, massive repressions, assassinations and the creation of concentration camps should also be included in the definition of terrorism. The Professor assumes that in the first place ‘it is necessary to consider the goals that terrorists pursue, since terrorism is violence or threat of violence for the purpose of achieving mainly political goals'.
According to Professor Krauze, there are three types of terrorism depending on the subject of terrorist activity:governmental terror ‘from above';terror against government ‘from below'and ‘inter-group'terrorism where the state is not involved. Spectacular examples of the latter are the fight between Tutsi and Hutu ethnic groups in Rwanda which resulted in the systematic genocide of the Tutsi, or the Ku Klux Klan massacre of Afro-Americans.
After September 11th, 2001, researchers'interest in studying various aspects of terrorism has risen sharply. Leading socio-political researchers are looking for answers which may help to understand the essence of terrorism. Psychologists are interested in whether there is a psychological type of person who is more inclined to terrorist activity. Anthropologists try to discover if the phenomenon of terrorism is universal for all peoples in the world. Economists try to analyze what resources and material goods can alter the effectiveness of terrorists. For independence, national self-determination and defense of ‘genuine faith'are often claimed as noble goals of the most terrible acts of terror. Political scientists study the problem of political systems that may provoke the rise of terrorists in a country. Sociologists raise a broader question about reasons for terrorism:what do people rebel against ?
James Coleman, an outstanding American sociologist, suggested, as far back as 1990, 'the theory of frustration and aggression', which assumes that aggression of a nation sharply rises at the moment when the gap between a society's aspirations and the standard of living is widest. Professor Krauze believes that sociologists should look in this direction for the roots of terrorism.
Several questions and disagreements concerning the interpretation of some historical and present-day events arose during the seminar. Can we consider the bombing of Dresden in February 1945 by Air Forces of Great Britain and the USA a military crime, if the result of the war had already been determined? Was the nuclear catastrophe in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 an act of international terror? Was the French Revolution of 1793 an act of state terror against aristocrats? Can the Christian Crusades be considered as religious terrorism against Palestinian Muslims? How should the massacre of American Indians be viewed?
‘The logic of my argument and my conclusions are not indisputable - professor said - I'm not pressing my opinion on anybody. Moreover, I myself have more questions than answers.'
Professor Krauze said that his American students are extremely interested in discussing the personalities of the leaders of terrorist group. What really motivates these people? Are not all debates on the legitimacy of existing government really based on the fight for power, particularly for personal power? And what should we think about the inevitable charisma of many terrorist leaders?
According to Tad Krauze, ‘sociologists from different countries have suggested several theories on the origin and essence of terrorism. One of the most popular - Conflict theory - is based on Karl Marx's doctrine of class and state. The ruling class suppresses the other classes and uses the economy, politics and culture as a means of control over society. And culture is the most important lever of control, since it includes the most powerful ideological weapons:education and the media'. That's why terrorists'ideology is opposed to the state ideology.
Another theory - 'Rational action theory'- assumes that the social environment (social situation) gives rise to the alternatives facing a person or a group of people, and has a decisive influence over their choice. The main idea that theory advocates is that attempting to frighten terrorists into surrender will not work, since methods of force and power are ineffective in most cases.
After the lecture Tad Krauze was asked many questions, the essence of which was:are there, in professor's view, any effective methods of fighting terrorism, and can it be defeated. Krauze's answer? The title of this article.
Valentina Gruzintseva, HSE News Service
Photos by Nikita Benzoruk
Video of Tad Krauze's presentation