State terrorism
State terrorism is a term referring to acts of violence which fit the common international definition of terrorism, but are committed by an official state military or sponsored by a sovereign government. State terrorism thus refers to hostile actions outside of the context of a declared war, which target civilians or show a disregard for civilian life in attacking targets — either people or facilities. The recent emergence of the term state terrorism, represents an attempt by the international community to use terrorism by its literal definition under international law to apply to more than merely non-state actors.
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2 State-specific examples
2.1 Chile
3 See also2.2 China 2.3 Germany 2.4 Iraq 2.5 Israel 2.6 Myanmar 2.7 Soviet Union 2.8 Spain 2.9 United States |
Confines and Definition
The definition of any political concept naturally depends on its source—the term "terrorism" is itself a controversial definition, commonly used to characterize the hostile actions of an opposing political view as wantonly destructive. In many cases, acts of terrorism and state terrorism have been carried out with the intention of inflaming hostilities, and may be precursors to full-scale war.
The terms "clandestine warfare" "low-intensity warfare," "guerrilla warfare" and "assymetrical warfare," are similar to "terrorism," and in some situations qualify, but "warfare" in most cases refers to military actions within the context of a war, while terrorism is confined to non-state actors, which cannot themselves declare war. Osama bin Laden's attack on the United States in 2001 was among a very few number of events where a non-state "terrorist" attack was called an "act of war," though neither bin Laden nor Al Qaeda constitute states capable of declaring war.
Some consider that Stalin's purges—political mass-killings within the USSR—also are "state terrorism." There is some term overlap: genocide, and more specifically democide, a crime against humanity, mass murder are also possible descriptions. See also state-sponsored terrorism.
The assassination of dissidents in exile (such as the 1940 murder of Leon Trotsky in Mexico by agents of Josef Stalin) might also be considered an example of state terrorism.
Chile, under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, pursued an extensive policy regarded by many as state terrorism against both civilians at home and perceived enemies abroad. On the international stage, the Chilean state's actions included the assassination of former ambassador Orlando Letelier in Washington, D.C., by means of a car bomb, the killing of Gen. Carlos Prats in Argentina in similar circumstances, and the attempted assassination of Bernardo Leighton in Italy.
The government of the People's Republic of China has repeatedly engaged in behaviors considered to violate international standards of human rights. Some of these are also considered by many as acts of state terrorism, such as the suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
China has also actively suppressed movements in Tibet which support independence for the Dalai Lama. Some of these actions, such as mass imprisonment and using violence against peaceful demonstrators, would be classified by some as state terrorism.
Under Nazi rule, it is well established that Adolf Hitler relied on terror to keep his political enemies in check.
In East Germany, labor revolts and labor strikes were often put down with what most would consider hugely disproportionate force, the goal likely being to terrorize workers into conforming behavior.
Iraq under Saddam Hussein is widely believed to have been responsible for numerous chemical weapons attacks on its own civilian population to stem revolutionary activity and pacify ethnic groups. One of the more famous incidents is the Halabja poison gas attack.
Israel has a policy of directly attacking the leaders of organizations that it considers to be terrorists. These counter-terror attacks have often resulted in the deaths of civilians unconnected with Israel's enemies, leading to accusations of state terrorism against Israel.
The ruling junta of Myanmar has repeatedly engaged in activities to suppress democratic movements within the country. Many of the junta's opponents, such as Aung San Suu Kyi, believe the goal of some of these is to terrorize the population into compliance. See, for instance, the August 8, 1998 Burma protest.
Under the reigns of Lenin and Stalin, political opponents of the Soviet regime, as well as perceived "enemies of the people", were subject to incarceration under life-threatening circumstances and execution. Stalin was able to cement his hold on power by intimidating and executing his political opponents, real and imagined.
During the 1970s and the 1980s, several groups attacked suspected members of Basque terrorist organization ETA.
These groups are:
Spanish magistrate Baltasar GarzÃÂón's investigations led to the conviction of a Spanish PSOE minister and several subordinates for organizing the GAL.
A number of critics have labelled actions of the United States of America as terrorism.
For instance, the US has taken sides in various foreign civil wars and conflicts, notably siding with Israel against other Middle East countries, often working with organizations with questionable human rights practices. The CIA, in particular, has been accused of supporting terrorist organizations in other countries. Such support has been labelled state terrorism.
Other actions have also been criticised as terroristic in intent. The nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II is sometimes considered another example of mass killing of civilians which went beyond the laws of war. Also, the UN sanctions on Iraq, which the US helped push for, are claimed to have harmed the people more than the government. Another example is the use of economic and political pressure on the Allende government in Chile. The United States' military action against Nicaragua in 1984-1985 was criticised by some commentators as terroristic after the World Court found the US guilty of "unlawful use of force".
State-specific examples
Chile
China
Germany
Iraq
Israel
Myanmar
Soviet Union
Spain
These groups have been suspected and in some cases proved to include Spanish policemen and to be funded with state secret funds.United States
See also
death squad, dirty war