Preview

Essay on Terrorism

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1012 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay on Terrorism
Essay on Terrorism
Posted by Ultius on Friday, 17 May 2013 in Sample Work

Font size: Larger Smaller Hits: 858 0 Comments More Sharing ServicesBookmark

What do terrorists really want? Money? Power? Publicity? Many researchers have concluded that a free media helps perpetuate terrorism in a society; without publicity, the actions of terrorist groups may ineffective and counterproductive in achieving their end goals. Thus, there is a relationship between the free media and the reporting of terrorist attacks.

While there are many reasons why terrorist acts are executed in contemporary society, this sample essay focuses specifically on the causation between terrorism and the free media, and acknowledges the most prudent steps that can be taken to limit these attacks from occuring in the future. If you like what you read and want a 100% original, custom essay on terrorism or any other specific topic, feel free to give us a call today!
Terrorist Intentions

Acts of terrorism are significantly higher in countries with a free media that report and publicize terrorism regardless of the trauma inflicted on victims compared to the prevalence of such attacks in countries with a state-controlled media (Gause 2005). Therefore, a free press will almost always assure maximum returns for terrorism and in turn will overestimate the relationship between democracy and terrorist activities. Terrorists want to spark fear within an existing population and generate publicity for their actions. This can be accomplished by large and rare dramatic attacks such as 9/11, but also smaller attacks in countries even where the media is not so prevalent, creating uncomfortable conditions for the target group.

With the continuing expansion of the free media, it is imperative for contemporary governments to address what can be done to decrease terrorist acts. In the ten years following the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. there was an increase in domestic expenditures



Bibliography: Blalock, G., Virinda Kadiyali, and Daniel H. Simon. 2007. “The impact of post 9/11 airport security measures on the demand for air travel. Journal of Law and Economics 50 (4): 731-755. Carafano, James J., Steven P. Bucci, and Jessica Zuckerman. “50 terrorist attacks foiled since 9-11.” The Heritage Foundation, April 25, 2012. http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/04/fifty-terror-plots-foiled-since-9-11-the-homegrown-threat-and-the-long-war-on-terrorism. Gause, G. F. 2005. “Can democracy stop terrorism?” Foreign Affairs 84(5): 62-76. National Priorities Project. 2011. U.S. Security Spending Since 9/11. http://nationalpriorities.org/analysis/2011/us-security-spending-since-911. Randstorp, M. 2007. Mapping Terrorism Research. London: Routledge. Shurkin, James. N. 2007. “Terrorism and the media.” In Psychology of Terrorists, edited by Bongar B. 81-86. New York: Oxford University Press. Stossel, John. 2004. Give Me a Break. New York: Harper Collins.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    While terrorism is not a new phenomenon to the human race, the past ten years have ushered in a previously unfamiliar rise in terrorism attacks on U.S. domestic soil. This problem has posed a significant challenge to U.S. national security which both government and commercial entities have so far struggled to adequately address and prevent.…

    • 17193 Words
    • 69 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    White, J. R. (2009). Terrorism and Homeland Security (6th ed.). [Adobe Digital Edition]. doi: 1009-0001-15E7-000015E8…

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, securing the country has become a national priority. The events of 9/11 were the first attacks on the United States (U.S.) since Pearl Harbor which catapulted the U.S. into World War II. As of the writing of this paper, the U.S. has been engaged in the War on Terrorism for 13 years. During this period of time the U.S. has been kept free from terrorist attacks by changes to laws, technology, and investigative methods to combat terrorism internationally. Although there have been a number of changes to U.S. law and American citizens have been kept safe, the threat of terrorism has not abated. With the continued threat of terrorism to the U.S. and its citizens, there is a high probability that the U.S. will suffer another 9/11 type of event.…

    • 3080 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Movies and films of Rambo and Schwarzenegger portray terrorists as Islam fundamentalists triggering a host of discriminatory actions among the populace. Given the billions of dollars spent on the war against terrorism and the widespread and extensive media propaganda campaign, it should be logical to conclude that terrorism has been greatly diminished ten years after the September 11, 2001 tragedy. On the contrary, the War on Terrorism has become a self fulfilling prophecy where terrorist activity exponentially increased. To wit:…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Smith, J. & Sanderson, T. M. (2006). Five years after 9/11: an assessment of America 's war on terror. New York. CSIS.…

    • 1848 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Terrorism and the Media

    • 1710 Words
    • 7 Pages

    News media refers to television, radio, and print journalism. It also refers to newer sources on the internet, including news, reporting services, the blogosphere, website pages, and propaganda broadcasts (White 104). Terrorism requires interdisciplinary research techniques because it involves so many aspects of the human experience, and its relationship with media have not been fully explored (White 104). Jeff Ian Ross, according to our text book, first off, believes meanings are socially created and Ross demonstrates that reporting is a part of the social construction of terrorism. Second, terrorists are aware of the power of the media and seek to manipulate their message through it. Third, while the media enhances the power of terrorism, it does not cause it. Finally, terrorists will…

    • 1710 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lone Wolf Terrorism

    • 8850 Words
    • 36 Pages

    Crenshaw, M (1988): Theories of terrorism; instrument and organizational approaches. Pg. 13-31. Penn state University Press.…

    • 8850 Words
    • 36 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Since the successful attacks by planned by Osama Bin Laden, and carried out by Al Qaeda terrorists, the United States of America has implemented new strategies to thwart efforts by terrorist to achieve another successful attack on US soil. Along with the new Global War on Terrorism, came new laws, different executive orders, and the implementation of the Department of Homeland Security to combat terrorism and to strengthen the nation's national security. According to James Carafano and Jessica Zuckerman, “There is little doubt that the United States is safer than it was on September 10, 2001—at least 40 terror plots against the U.S. have been foiled since 9/11—but the war on terrorism is not yet won” (Carafano and Zuckerman 2011, par.2). After many successes, at least 40 foiled plots said by Carafano and Zuckerman, the United States has monitored and compiled a list of suspected terrorist organizations both foreign and domestic. However, the US has recently began to slow down their efforts in national security interest. Under the leadership of the Obama Administration, there have been many defense cuts, a refusal to secure US borders, and a foreign policy that has caused more instability in the Middle East than ever before. This has given rise to more hatred for the hegemonic United States government by Islamic extremists, and has left the United States susceptible to three major types of terrorist attacks that are likely to occur on American soil.…

    • 4244 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In “Terror on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube” Gabriel Weimann argues that social media has greatly aided the spread of terrorism over the advancement of technology in online communication. Weimann examines the use of interactive online communication by terrorists and their supporter- from chatrooms to social media and online video communities.…

    • 508 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Richelson, J. and Evans, M. (2001). Volume I: Terrorism and U.S. Policy, The National Security Archive, retrieved on 10/17/2009, http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB55/index1.html#IV…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin, G. (2010). Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspective, and Issues Third Edition. In G. Martin, Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspective, and Issues Third Edition (pp. 82-84). California: Sage Publication, Inc.…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Greenberg, Karen J. (2005) ‘Al Qaeda Now, Understanding Today’s Terrorists’, Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, USA.…

    • 2669 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Terrorist Financing

    • 2464 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Terrorism has been a major concern for the United States government for many years. Citizens of the United States have been immune to the terrorist attacks that are taking place overseas. When The World Trade Center was attacked using a car bomb in 1993, terrorism was brought upon the door steps of Americans. What was once a headline on the daily news has now became a reality in the life of the American citizen. An essential element in the strategy for the war on terrorism is to dismantle or disrupt the financial network used by terrorist. After the September 11 attack the Federal Government took several steps to combat terrorist financing, resulting with "More than $140 million in terrorist's assets have been frozen across the some 1,400 bank accounts worldwide." (Kaplan, 2006, Council on Foreign Relations) The United States government along with several other countries worked together and passed several laws to combat terrorist financing. After September 11, 2001, the thought of another attack weighed heavy on the minds of the federal investigators. Tracking and stopping the money flow to the terrorist may help stop another attack. We will examine the steps taken to minimize the cash flow to international terrorist organizations and the results of the actions implemented.…

    • 2464 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    * 16. Hoffman, B. (2006) Inside terrorism Revd., Columbia University Press , New York, NY…

    • 3150 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The role of mass media on the coverage of terrorism is an important issue arising from such events. Journalism often attracts controversy, not least where news coverage becomes part of the contest to define the social meaning of events. Reporting terrorism—whether the destruction of 9/11, suicide bombers in the second Intifada, or violence in Chechnya—raises significant questions about how far news coverage can meet journalistic standards of ‘balance ', ‘truth ' and ‘objectivity ' in cases of extreme political conflict. Debate has centered around two questions. First, does media coverage err on the side of group terrorists, lending them legitimacy and credibility, as well as unintentionally encouraging further incidents through a ‘contagion '…

    • 1681 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics