state terrorism - Revision history

Weapon: State terrorism moved to state terrorism over redirect

2008-07-11T15:28:04Z

State terrorism moved to state terrorism over redirect

Weapon: clean up

2008-07-06T10:42:39Z

clean up

Weapon: rm supercat

2008-07-06T10:41:19Z

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Weapon: state terrorism moved to State terrorism

2008-06-26T22:59:20Z

state terrorism moved to State terrorism

Beta M: Anarchopedia:Wikipedia datadump (original research)

2007-05-16T22:41:07Z

Anarchopedia:Wikipedia datadump (original research)

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'''State terrorism''' is a controversial term (see:[[#Confines and definition|State terrorism: Confines and definition]]), which means violence against civilians perpetrated by a [[government|national government]] or [[Client state|proxy state]]<ref>[http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00000137/01/Primorat.pdf]</ref>. Whether a particular act is described as "[[terrorism]]" may depend on whether the [[international community]] considers the action justified or necessary, or whether the described act is carried out as part of an [[war|armed conflict]]. It has to be mentioned, that the opinion of the ''International community'' cannot be defined and determined with universal agreement. State terrorism, where applicable, may be directed toward the population or infrastructure of the state in question or towards the population of other states. Although attacks on non-combatant civilians may occur during a time of war, they are not usually considered terrorism, especially if these are attacks on the enemy's war fighting capacity (for example an industrial port). The terrorism may be carried out by the state's own forces, such as an [[army]], [[police]], state supported [[militia]]s, or other organisations, where it is more usually called ''[[state sponsored terrorism]]''.

Care should be taken to differentiate ''state terrorism'' from acts of violence carried out by government agents, which are not specified by government policy or past conduct. A murder carried out by a policeman, for example, is not ''state terrorism'' unless the government sanctioned the action by policy or conduct such as a pattern of attacks by state agents in the past that has gone unpunished, leading perpetrators to assume they act with impunity.
{{Terrorism}}

==Confines and definition==
{{main|definition of terrorism}}
State terrorism, like ''terrorism'', is controversial and there is no generally accepted definition. Often acts that critics describe as terror, supporters defend as legitimate defence against perceived threats. Generally, the definition of terrorism does not extend to states in direct and open military conflict, if the actions of their armed forces are within the [[laws of war]].

The distinction between state and nonstate terror has been criticized as being morally relativist and as distracting from or justifying state terrorism perpetrated by favored states, typically those of wealthy and developed nations ([[Noam Chomsky|Chomsky]] and [[Edward S. Herman|Herman]], 1979).The [[Spain|Spanish]] judge [[Baltasar GarzÃ³n]] views particular [[political system]]s as instances of state terrorism: "''State terrorism is a political system whose rule of recognition permits and/or imposes a clandestine, unpredictable, and diffuse application, even regarding clearly innocent people, of coercive means prohibited by the proclaimed judicial ordinance''."

==Methods of state terror==
[[Kangaroo court]]s, [[torture]], [[terror bombing]], [[kidnapping]], and [[extrajudicial execution]] are said to be common practices of state terror, often used to terrorize domestic and foreign populations by sovereign or proxy regimes.

Citizens of [[Western world|Western nations]] are generally protected from unfair trial by [[constitution]]al or legislative safeguards and the requirements of [[due process]]. Undeveloped nations may have weaker institutions and unstable political climates that allow governments to have greater influence over the judiciary than in wealthier nations, allowing dissenters to be victimized as criminals.

According to [[Amnesty International]] ([[1997]]), in [[1996]], out of 150 countries surveyed, 82 had participated in [[torture]].

===Extrajudicial execution===
Extrajudicial execution, or political murder, takes place when state agents kill citizens who are viewed as threats, or to intimidate communities. Extrajudicial execution may be carried out by the official military, police forces, or unofficial but sanctioned [[paramilitary|paramilitaries]] (often called "[[death squad]]s" or euphemized as "civilian defence"). In the latter case, there may be strong ties between the paramilitaries and official forces, with an overlapping membership and/or a "blind eye" turned to illegal activities.

''See also: [[Janjaweed]]''

Such death squads often unpredictably attack the socially disadvantaged ("undesirables"), religious or ethnic minorities, or citizens deemed to be subversive. Their targets typically include the [[homeless]], [[street child]]ren, [[trade union|union]] leaders, [[indigenous people]]s, [[clergy]], [[activist]]s, [[journalist]]s, and [[academic]]s. Death squads conveniently shield their sponsors from liability, the illusion of spontaneous criminal violence providing [[plausible deniability]]. Often, the bodies of victims are secretly disposed, typically in [[mass grave]]s, leaving no evidence of a crime and increasing the [[Psychological trauma|trauma]] to families and communities. These cases are known as "[[forced disappearance]]s", and take place particularly in [[South America]]. The ''UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances'' was formed in [[1980]] to investigate the global phenomenon of unexplained disappearances.

==Acts labelled as state terrorism, sorted by state==
{{Main|List of acts labelled as state terrorism sorted by state}}

==See also==

* [[state terrorism by United States of America]]
* [[crime against humanity]]
* [[Dirty War]]
* [[Secret War]]
* [[false flag]]
* [[Operation Condor]]
* [[Operation Gladio]]
* [[Operation Northwoods]]
* [[COINTELPRO]]
* [[selective assassination]]
* [[state-sponsored terrorism]]
* [[terror bombing]]
* [[terrorism]]
* [[war crime]]
* [[color of law]]

==References==
* Sluka, Jeffrey A. (Ed.) (2000). ''Death Squad: The Anthropology of State Terror''. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-8122-1711-X.
* Chomsky, Noam and Herman, Edward S. (1979). ''The Washington Connection and Third World Fascism: The Political Economy of Human Rights: Vol. 1''. Boston: South End Press. ISBN 0-89608-090-0
*{{cite book|author=Alexander George | title=Western State Terrorism|publisher=Polity Press | year=1991 | id=ISBN 0-7456-0931-7 }}
*{{cite book|author=Mark Curtis |title=Unpeople: Britain's Secret Human Rights Abuses |publisher=Vintage|year=2004 |id=ISBN 0-09-946972-3}}

==Further reading==
* Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth & K. Lee Lerner, eds. ''Terrorism : essential primary sources.'' Thomson Gale, 2006. ISBN 9781414406213 Library of Congress. Jefferson or Adams Bldg General or Area Studies Reading Rms LC Control Number: 2005024002.
* Tarpley, Webster G. ''9/11 Synthetic Terror, Made in USA'' -Progressive Press. ISBN 0-93085-231-1
* Chomsky, Noam. ''The Culture of Terrorism'' ISBN 0-89608-334-9
* Chomsky, Noam. ''9/11'' ISBN 1-58322-489-0
* George, Alexander. ''Western State Terrorism'', Polity Press. ISBN 0-7456-0931-7

==External links==
'''Prevention of terrorism'''
* [http://www.tkb.org/Home.jsp The National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism]
* [http://www.antiwar.com/orig/pilger.php?articleid=3592 Recognizing State Terror]

{{wikipedia|State terrorism}}

[[Category:Political repression]]
[[Category:Terrorism]]
[[Category:State terrorism|*]]

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 Care should be taken to differentiate ''state terrorism'' from acts of violence carried out by government agents, which are not specified by government policy or past conduct. A murder carried out by a policeman, for example, is not ''state terrorism'' unless the government sanctioned the action by policy or conduct such as a pattern of attacks by state agents in the past that has gone unpunished, leading perpetrators to assume they act with impunity.
 ==Confines and definition==
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 Such death squads often unpredictably attack the socially disadvantaged ("undesirables"), religious or ethnic minorities, or citizens deemed to be subversive. Their targets typically include the [[homeless]], [[street child]]ren, [[trade union|union]] leaders, [[indigenous people]]s, [[clergy]], [[activist]]s, [[journalist]]s, and [[academic]]s. Death squads conveniently shield their sponsors from liability, the illusion of spontaneous criminal violence providing [[plausible deniability]]. Often, the bodies of victims are secretly disposed, typically in [[mass grave]]s, leaving no evidence of a crime and increasing the [[Psychological trauma|trauma]] to families and communities. These cases are known as "[[forced disappearance]]s", and take place particularly in [[South America]]. The ''UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances'' was formed in [[1980]] to investigate the global phenomenon of unexplained disappearances.
 ==References==
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 * [http://www.tkb.org/Home.jsp The National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism]
 * [http://www.antiwar.com/orig/pilger.php?articleid=3592 Recognizing State Terror]
 [[Category:Political repression]]
 [[Category:State terrorism| ]]

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 [[Category:Political repression]]
-[[Category:Terrorism]]
-[[Category:State terrorism|*]]
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← Older revision	Revision as of 22:59, 26 June 2008
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