Global Terrorism Unit 1 (2)
All people are unique. However, individuals who are in a group may expose some common characteristics. In the same light, terrorists and terrorist groups may exhibit certain similar characteristics in the way they carry out their tasks as well as in their beliefs. The goal of most terrorists is to intimidate people by promoting fear. They will ensure that people know who they are by committing heinous crimes so that people become afraid of them. Although terrorists groups are military equipped, they do not have as many weapons as the government. However, this does not mean that they do not have the necessary weaponry to carry out their tasks. Some of these groups are well equipped with heavy machinery and ammunition, but this does not usually exceed the government’s capacity (Gerringer, 2002).
Most terrorists are young men, although there are an increasing number of women joining terrorist groups. A majority of the terrorists comes from poor income families, and they generally have minimal education. However, others have high education from universities and they are wealthy. Despite their background, terrorists do not show any mercy. They do not perceive that killing people is a wrong thing, and in some cases, others have shown the symptoms of anti-social personality disorder, or psychopathic personality disorder. They are not however mentally ill and they are usually well aware of their actions. One of the reasons behind their actions is that most terrorists come from regions where violence is the norm (Nikbay, Hancerli, North Atlantic Treaty Organization & Public Diplomacy Division, 2007).
There are different motives behind terrorism and these form the basis of the cause for which they are fighting. While some fight for political reasons, others fight for religious reasons, while others just want to gain publicity for their actions. Those fighting for political reasons aim at seizing power from the incumbent government and they will do anything to achieve this. Religious terrorists are on the other hand interested in keeping their religion as the dominating factor in the region, and they will therefore intimidate any individual or group who do not conform to an aspect of their religion. Some terrorists believe that theirs is an act that will lead them to salvation and that they will get a final reward for doing so. This is the case for some of the suicide bombers who believe they are fighting a religious cause.
In some cases, terrorists attack as a means of revenging the death of a close friend, relative, or one of their own (Nikbay et al., 2007). In all these cases, terrorists have a definite goal that they want to achieve and the accomplishment of this goal is one of their motivating factors. Other motivating factors for these terrorists include the past successes of similar causes. In some cases, terrorists have emerged to become leaders in their regions. Some who led terror groups in the past have advanced to lead the regions they represent. This has encouraged others who are fighting for the same cause since they know that they can achieve it in the end.
Many people have found it hard to discourage terrorists from their activities. When a terrorist has decided on a course of action, he or she will push forward with it until they realize it. Some people see violence as the only way to get their voice heard. In some cases, people engage in violence because they are constantly frustrated. When these people lack another avenue to let out their frustrations, they will result to acts of terrorism and it is hard to discourage them from doing so. It is disheartening that some terrorist organizations receive a lot of financial support from different groups, organizations and individuals, who support their cause. Since a majority of the young people working in these terror groups do not have any other means of acquiring an income, they see this as the source of their financial support. When they do not have any other alternatives, they will choose to continue with terrorism.
References
Gerringer, E. A. (2002). Terrorism: From one millennium to the next. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse
Nikbay, O., Hancerli, S., North Atlantic Treaty Organization & Public Diplomacy Division (2007). Understanding and responding to the terrorism phenomenon: A multi-dimensional perspective. Netherlands: IOS Press
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