By Steve Macko, ENN Editor
Clark Staten, ERRI Analyst
Although investigators have not officially determined the cause of the crash of TWA Flight 800, there is no doubt that this incident shined a spotlight on the global problem of terrorism. Whether it is proven that a terrorist act did indeed bring the plane down into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Long Island really no longer matters. This incident seems to have bring home the message that America is vulnerable to outside forces that wish to harm American citizens. The perception is now there.
The United States State Department defines terrorism this way: "Premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience."
The world is becoming an ever shrinking place. Americans are now finding out that they may have a lot more in common with people in Western Europe, South America, Israel and Japan.
In 1995, the U.S. State Department's Office of Counterterrorism recorded 440 official terrorist acts in the world. A little more than one incident per day. That was up from 322 terrorist acts in 1994. Of those 440, 99 of the attacks were against U.S. interests. That was increase from 1994 when there were 66 acts against U.S. interests. Twelve Americans were killed by terrorists in 1995, compared to only four killed in 1994.
The statistics, of course, show an upward trend. What the numbers show is that the U.S. is only a part of large list of countries that must cope with the scourge of terrorism.
By looking at other regions of the world, and seeing what other countries are under terrorist attack, and how they are coping with the problem, we may gain a better understanding of the global problem of low-intensity warfare. This list is by no means complete:
LATIN AMERICA - A SLEEPING GIANTSome major cities in South America are among the most violent in the entire world. The Colombian cities of Bogota, Cali, and Medellin are victims to violence from Marxist rebels and powerful drug cartels. In Brazil, the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have the highest murder rates in the world, where between 10,000 and 14,000 people a year are murdered.
In Colombia, rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) conduct ambushes against government forces. They also are involved in drug trafficking and kidnappings, which is a big industry in Latin America these days. In June of 1995, the FARC planted a bomb at a rock concert in Medellin. The blast killed 28 people and wounded 200 others.
In Peru, it was thought that the government had defeated the Maoist terrorist group known as Shining Path (SL). But the group has been recently staging a comeback with a number of bombings in the country. American commercial concerns like Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonalds, and other American symbols have allegedly been attacked by the Luminoso in the past.
WESTERN EUROPE - KNOWING HOW TO DEAL WITH THE THREATFor 27 years, Great Britain has been dealing with the threat of IRA terrorism, both on the mainland and in Northern Ireland. Thousands of people have been killed and numerous buildings have been destroyed by car bombs. Besides the Irish Republican Army, there is also the threat of terrorism by Protestant paramilitary groups who retaliate to the IRA attacks. In the past 27 years, more than 3,000 people have been killed by terrorist violence in the U.K.
To combat this threat, British police have surrounded the city of London because it is known that the IRA likes to target the city. Roadblocks are manned by police officers at key streets entering the city. Cars and trucks are stopped randomly to check for explosives. A "steel-ring" of security measures has been implemented in parks of the commercial and theater district.
At Heathrow Airport, a past target of the IRA, police dressed in flak jackets and carrying machine guns can be seen. Any passenger who happens to leave his bags unattended for even a few moments inside of a terminal does so at his own risk. Police will quickly pick up the unattended luggage and destroy it.
The threat of terrorism is constantly on the minds of people living in Northern Ireland. Army and police units can be seen going through the streets of Belfast in armored cars. The army also conducts foot patrols and there are occasional roadblocks. Most of these sights had disappeared for a while during the IRA cease-fire, but they are back now. As rioting and revenge attacks, between Protestants and Catholics, continue with an increasing pace, the prospects for additional terrorist attacks also increases.
In France, a wave of terrorist attacks in 1994 and 1995 on subway trains, jetliners and other targets were believed to be the work of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) from Algeria. The terrorist incidents in France have been halted for the most part, following massive arrests of suspected insurgents and infiltration of numerous groups.
During the 1970s and 1980s, terrorism played a big part in Germany and in Italy. But counterterrorism forces in those countries have brought the problem under control.
In Spain, the Basque separatist group known as ETA continues its attacks on the Spanish government. This group targets tourist sites in its attacks. ETA has been around for a very long time and has recently intensified its bombing campaign.
EASTERN EUROPE - ONLY A MATTER OF TIMECounterterrorism experts say that this region is ripe for groups with ample motive and means to conduct home-grown terrorist campaigns. It will only be a matter of time before Eastern Europe catches up to rest of the world.
Police in Poland this year have been attempting to track a group that uses terrorist tactics to extort money from Western corporations. The group, or gang, depending on definition, is called "GN 95 Group." It has targeted the Shell Oil Company in Poland and has demanded $2 million "in exchange for peace for the next 25 years." The group says that if Shell doesn't pay up it will bomb Shell stations until the company decides to pay the money. The threats from the GN 95 Group started in April and the most recent one came in late July.
RUSSIA - THE NEW TERRORISM HOTSPOTWhen the Soviet Union was still intact and in control, acts of terrorism were rare and never publicized. A lot has changed in the 1990s. People in Russia now must cope with acts of terrorism that can strike such things as public transportation in Moscow. In the past year, there have been a number of high-profile acts of violence. More and more of these problems have been linked to the war in Chechnya.
Earlier this year, Chechen rebels conducted two dramatic raids in which hundreds of hostages were taken. These were followed by standoffs with Russian forces that lasted for a number of days. While many of the hostages were freed unharmed, the sieges proved that a small, very dedicated force of rebels could hold-out against Russian conventional forces.
There have been a string of bombings against mass transit targets in Moscow this summer. These attacks were causing the citizens of the city to be on edge and fearful. Not knowing if the next ride on a bus, may be their last. The attacks were causing the desired effect -- spreading fear among the populace.
The strangest thing is -- there has been no concrete proof that Chechen rebels were responsible for any of the attacks.
The continuing instability and assaults by terrorist groups have made the Russian people very nervous and most people skeptical that the authorities have the ability to handle the problems. (Ed. Note: Click here to review a 1991 ERRI Assessment of Terrorism following the break-up of the U.S.S.R. )
THE MIDDLE EAST - THE SPREADING CLOUD OF ISLAMIC
FUNDAMENTALISMIf terrorism was a sport, the Middle East would be considered the big leagues. All of the major players reside here with the rogue state of Iran being the high commissioner.
Throughout there entire history, Israelis have had to live with the constant threat of terrorism. We hear about the bombings that do take a life and cause damage. What we don't always hear about are the constant bomb scares that occur at such places as movie theaters and shopping malls. The bomb squads in Israel are always kept busy.
This year alone, Israelis have had to endure Katyusha rocket attacks fired by pro-Iranian Hizbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon. There have been four suicide bombings by Islamic extremists that have killed 59 people.
No matter where you go, from Algeria to Saudi Arabia, terrorism, mostly from the hand of Islamic fundamentalists, is casting a cloud over the daily routines of people in the Middle East. The greatest fear is that terrorism is becoming more and more organized with the leaders of the terrorist organizations coming together and holding summits, just like counterterrorist forces in the West.
JAPAN - PEOPLE NO LONGER FEEL TOTALLY SAFEJapan has always been known as one of the world's safest nations. That image has tarnished somewhat after the deadly gas attack that occurred on Tokyo's subway system on 20 March 1995. The nerve gas attack, the work of a oddball doomsday cult, killed twelve people and injured thousands of others.
What the attack proved most of all was that Japan, a country with a very low crime rate and few worldwide enemies, is susceptible to the scourge of terrorism.
Even today, reminders of what happened about one-and-a-half years ago can still be seen and heard. Passengers on the subways are reminded by conductors to watch out for suspicious packages. Photographs of the seven cult members who are still at large can be seen everywhere. The Japanese, collectively, appear to be suffering from the psychological effects of the alleged attack by Aum Shinrykio, their previously unassailed security now shattered by by the fear that terrorists spread.