Abstract:

There has been an increase in the number of scholars who proclaim the growth of the “new terrorism,” whose core characteristics include: the central role of religion, its increasingly lethal and indiscriminate nature, and the potential use of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). As opposed to older terrorist organizations that sought tangible, political goals, the “new terrorism” paradigm claims that Political Islamic groups such as Al-Qaeda are primarily nihilistic and, thus, seek the physical destruction and total elimination of their opponents. Conversely, this article maintains that modern religiously-inspired terrorist movements are similar to older terrorist groups in terms of their objectives, tactics, and strategies, as the role of violence remains primarily communicative, and not destructive. In addition, since the views of the “new terrorism,” especially regarding the appropriate counter-terrorism strategies, resonate with American foreign policy goals and geo-political interests, this conception permits U.S. officials to both delegitimize the aims of current terrorist organizations while, in the process, absolving the West of any responsibility in creating the current conditions responsible for their growth.

Author: Thomas J. Butko