PO102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Baruch Goldstein, Baltimore
Political Violence Terrorism
Want to think about the relationship between power and violence
Corrupt cuban govt - violent means used to challenge
Apartheid regime - violent means used to challenge
Hannah Arendt Political Theorist
● Violence unsupported by power will never accomplish political goals
● Eg: Saddam Hussein backed by US, Ba’ath Party and Sunni Muslims
Terrorism vs War
● Both are forms of political violence
● Terrorism different because it deliberately and indiscriminately targets civilians (is this
true?)
1972 Munich Olympics
1985 Air India - plane bomb
Lockerbie December 21 1988 - plane bomb
Tokyo 1995 - poison gas in subway (domestic terrorism)
Norway 2011 - 87 killed, bomb and shooting
Lahore bombing march 28 2016 - kills 72 in park on easter sunday
Quebec city jan 2017 - mosque attack
Terrorism → Terror
● Nobody self identifies as a terrorist
● Labels often politically given
Methods
● Use of a bomb
● 1946 King David Hotel Bomb vs Baruch Goldstein
○ Pre-israeli militant right wing zionist group: hotel bomb killed 91 people (tourists)
○ 1994 baruch goldstein: shot 20 palestinian worshippers in hebron, 125 wounded
(referred to as “murderous act” - possibly because use of gun rather than bomb)
Possible Definitions
● Jan Haugland, blogger: Demanding the unreasonable and demanding it at gunpoint
● Baltimore City Newspaper: Violence inflicted upon the ‘ins’ by the ‘outs’
● UCLA prof: Killing by stealth and targeting a defenceless victim in a way intended to
cause terror in society
Terrorism: Elements for a Definition
● Use or threat of violence as a strategy to achieve political goals
● Aim is to induce fear causing people to alter their behaviour
● Publicity is an essential element
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Want to think about the relationship between power and violence. Corrupt cuban govt - violent means used to challenge. Apartheid regime - violent means used to challenge. Violence unsupported by power will never accomplish political goals. Eg: saddam hussein backed by us, ba"ath party and sunni muslims. Terrorism different because it deliberately and indiscriminately targets civilians (is this true?) Tokyo 1995 - poison gas in subway (domestic terrorism) Norway 2011 - 87 killed, bomb and shooting. Lahore bombing march 28 2016 - kills 72 in park on easter sunday. 1946 king david hotel bomb vs baruch goldstein. Pre-israeli militant right wing zionist group: hotel bomb killed 91 people (tourists) 1994 baruch goldstein: shot 20 palestinian worshippers in hebron, 125 wounded (referred to as murderous act - possibly because use of gun rather than bomb) Jan haugland, blogger: demanding the unreasonable and demanding it at gunpoint. Baltimore city newspaper: violence inflicted upon the ins" by the outs".
