Summary
Samenvatting Duyvesteyn (2004): How New is the New Terrorism?
- Course
- Institution
Summary of the article How New is the New Terrorism by Isabelle Duyvensteyn (2004)
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
sannevienna
Content preview
How new is the New Terrorism?> This article aims to challenge the dominant view that the expressions of terrorism since the last
decade of the twentieth century are fundamentally new
New terrorism has been frequently used but questioned by few.
> ‘new’ can signify that phenomenon has not been witnessed before
> “new” can rightly be applied when it concerns seen-before phenomena but an unknown
perspective or interpretation is developed (earth is round)
While the label new has not been hotly debated in regard to terrorism, the concept of terrorism itself
has. Elements of terrorism were violence, political and fear or terror as researched by Schmid.
> the term should be judged from the perspective of the beholder (one man’s terrorist is another
man’s freedom fighter)
> new terrorism is supposed to have started in the 1990s and is often marked by 9/11
The study of terrorism
The academic interest in the subject only seriously took off in the early 1970s
> Social science: psychological explanations
- Relative Deprivation Theory (frustration about societal position and deprivation of chances
makes individuals turn to violence (in combination with ideology)) → lot of criticism
- Terrorists operate mostly in small groups but there is no evidence of terrorist personality
- Many attempts to make a terrorist profile and study effects of terrorism
> Political science: mostly aims of terrorist movements
- also focus on distinction between state and non-state actors
- Apart from divisions into left-wing and right-wing terrorism, nationalist, separatist,
irredentist, ethnic, and religious motivations have been offered as explanations for terrorism
- approach characterized by eclecticism
> Historical research: history of terrorism
- doubt about the usefulness of the study of terrorism’s history → led to a state of affairs in
which a thorough study of the history of modern terrorism is completely lacking
- there exist encyclopaedias, historical anthologies, map development of terrorism → all
studies lack critical analyses.
- Several problems with literature on terrorism:
1. little building on previous work in the field
2. strong temptation to predict the future
The research agenda
> attacks of 11 September 2001 rise to literature trying to understand → attacks qualified as ‘new’
> New terrorism supposedly new because:
- perpetrators act transnationally and operate in loosely organized networks
- they are inspired by religion and are seen as fanatics
- they seek weapons to attack as many people as possible
- their victims are not selected but their targeting is indiscriminate
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller sannevienna. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.31. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
67474 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now