Dissident, Anti-state, And Communal Terrorism

Dissident, Anti-state, and Communal Terrorism Name Institutional Affiliation Dissident, Anti-state, and Communal Terrorism Various forms of terrorism have existed from as far as the 1st century. Though the term terrorism was coined in the 18th century to refer to the French Revolution, acts of terror had been perpetrated before by the Sicarii Zealots among others. However, terrorism as we know became more widespread in the 20th and 21st centuries. The terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York in 2001 brought a completely new dimension to terrorism and triggered an international fight against the vice. Broadly, terrorism can be described as the act of intentionally and indiscriminately using violence to create fear among the population in order to achieve a financial, political, ideological, or religious goal. Though most people understand the impacts of terrorism, the various types of terrorism are dismally understood. This essay seeks to discuss the similarities and differences between dissident, anti-state, and communal terrorism. Dissident terrorism is a type of terrorism in which the perpetrators of terror (terrorist groups) have rebelled against the government. History records some examples of dissident terrorism that were considered moral and surgical such as the Social Revolutionary Party in Russia towards the end of the 20th century. However, dissident terrorism in the earlier centuries was violent. Dissident terrorism is aimed at resisting oppressive governments and systems. Though some quarters try to justify this type of terrorism, it is opposed by humanitarians since it results in disruption of the existing social order without having a concrete strategy of building a just society. Moreover, dissident terrorism in some parts of the world uses child soldiers. The Irish dissident organizations are examples of modern day dissident terrorism. They have been trying to end the British rule since 1916 (Dnes & Brownlow, 2017). Anti-state terrorism refers to acts of terror that are perpetrated on a particular state or country by groups that are not necessarily citizens of that state. The groups could also be non-state. This could be done with the aim of destabilizing the state or to undermine its legitimacy. This type of terrorism has been common in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in the recent past. Communal terrorism refers to violence perpetrated on people based on their communal or ethnic lines. Communal terrorism results from degradation of the rule of law, or a failed state. Ethnic segregation as well as fear of domination can also result in communal terrorism. Following oppression or threat of oppression, the victims turn to violence (Lischer, 1999). Similarities between the Three Types of Terrorism The major feature of all types o...