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| UNDERSTANDING TERRORISM August 15, 1997 |
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Questions asked
in this forum:Isn't "terrorist" a relative term? What sort of values do terrorists teach their children? How much popular support exists for terrorists in their homelands? What's the difference between American and Middle Eastern terrorism? Could anyone be capable of a terrorist act? Viewer comments on Middle Eastern terrorism.
NewsHour Backgrounders
August 1, 1997:
A report on the attempted bombing of a Brooklyn subway.
July 30, 1997:
Clinton reacts to the Jerusalem bombing my militant Islamic group Hamas.
March 13, 1996:
A report on the international summit on terrorism.
March 12, 1996:
A report on terrorism and how to prevent it.
Last week, a suicide bomb exploded in the middle of a busy Jerusalem market, killing 15 and wounding over 150.
Days later, New York police arrested two men who were allegedly hours away from bombing a busy Brooklyn subway station.
And although it occured over four years ago, the World Trade Center bombing has reentered the public's consciousness now that its trial is underway in New York City.
These incidents, occurring in quick succession over the past three weeks, underscore the heightened awareness and unease over foreign terrorism, particularly since two of the incidents have shown that foreign terrorism can take place on domestic soil.
Terrorist groups, specifically Middle Eastern terrorist groups, frighten us so much that unrelated incidents are often blamed on them; the initial reports on the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing and 1996 Olympic Park Bombing immediately cast a suspicious eye towards them, only to be proven wrong later.
But are we afraid of something we don't understand? Athough we fear Middle Eastern terrorists, we seem to know surprisingly little about them.
This forum examines Middle Eastern terrorism. What prompts terrorist activity? Can it be explained by cultural, religious or political factors? Is it a sign of insanity? Or is it behavior of which anyone-- Middle Eastern or American-- could be capable?
Two guests discussed this complex issue: the first, Martha Crenshaw, a professor of government at Wesleyan University, has already posted her answers. Now Hala Jaber, a London-based journalist and author of the book "Hezbollah: Born with a Vengeance," has added her comments.
Questions asked in this forum:
Isn't "terrorist" a relative term? What sort of values do terrorists teach their children? How much popular support exists for terrorists in their homelands What's the difference between American and Middle Eastern terrorism? Could anyone be capable of a terrorist act? Viewer comments on Middle Eastern terrorism
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