The History of Terrorism and Special Forces Research Paper

The History of Terrorism and Special Forces - Research Paper Example An extensive investigation on terrorism has to be carried out especially on the historical background of the US in order to gather a broader perspective about terrorists’ intentions. I strongly believe the research will assist government agencies and legal systems to make timely decisions on how to tackle the deadly threats. The historical background on terrorism dates back to the French revolution (Mitchell, 2010). For the last ten years, however, a dramatic increase in this barbaric act has been observed. To pursue their political agenda they use hijacking, murdering, kidnapping and bombing. Armstrong indicated that modern suicide terror was first noted at an American embassy in Lebanon in 1983 near Beirut (Simpson & Robert, 2004). The group behind the attack was known as Hezbollah, meaning an army of God. The group later led another attack against the French multinational force and the Marine headquarters resulting in the death of 300 people (Bernstein, 2002). The terror attack made western forces to leave Lebanon. A suicide terror attack is presumed to be the most devastating form of terrorism. The terrorists usually use religion to justify their awful acts though the assaults are politically motivated. Hezbollah as I noted uses suicide terror attacks against Israel as a retaliatory apparatus. For example, after their secretary general Abas Musavi was assassinated by Israeli military personnel in 1992, the Hezbollah bombed an Israeli embassy stationed in Buenos Ares (Mann, 2004). Twenty-nine people died while two hundred and fifty people were seriously injured. I also noted that whenever a terror group achieved a political goal their terror activities were observed to reduce. This was a clear indication that the perpetrators were politically motivated rather than being religiously influenced. Islam is also the most dominant religion in the Middle East and terrorists use this opportunity to their advantage. The objective of

Coursework 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Coursework 6 - Essay Example For instance, the physicist Hans Bethe was briefed on SDI in 1983 and his reaction was doubtful that it would work to defend the U.S. (â€Å"Strategic...†). Apparently Soviet scientists had the same reaction. Compared to the U.S., which still spends 4 billion dollars a year on Star Wars, the Soviet Union spent very little on it. The largest cause of the end of the Cold War was Gorbachev, and his dedication to reform. Gorbachev was not afraid to make economic reforms such as glasnost (liberalization), perestroika (reconstruction) and uskoreniye (acceleration of economic reform), even though these reforms were considered radical by apparatchiks (bureaucrats of the Communist Party) in the Soviet government(â€Å"Mikhail...†). Gorbachev democratized much of the Soviet Union and went so far with reforms and freedoms that an unintended wave of nationalism and call for independence was created within the Soviet republics. Eventually Gorbachev was put under house arrest by hard-line apparatchiks and the Soviet Union collapsed, effectively ending the Cold War. The Colombian government has been involved in a civil conflict for four decades with the left-wing rebel group Farc, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Farc rebels recently killed several police with a roadside bomb (â€Å"Colombian Rebels...†). The police were attempting to destroy coca bushes, which are the source of cocaine that finances Farc. Another left-wing rebel group active in Colombia is the ELN, or National Liberation Army. The left-wing groups are blamed for kidnappings, assassinations and extortion. The rebel groups are fought by right-wing paramilitaries such as the AUC, or United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. Paramilitaries were supported by rich landowners who descend from the Spanish settlers. These right-wing groups are involved in drug-trafficking as well. They are blamed for massacres and torture. The Colombian conflict