GOV 312L Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: People'S Protection Units, Kurdistan Workers' Party, Norm-Referenced Test
Document Summary
Terrorism: it is used to identify and define a particular set of violent political acts; also used to defame and degrade one"s opponents. When used in this way terrorism is a violent act committed by one"s enemies but not one"s community or allies. Applying the label of terrorist to an action or group is a political statement rather than analytical one and an depend on one"s normative assessment of a group"s goals. Those in power often identify any challenger who tries to take away their power by force as terrorists while challengers against state power often claim to be victims of terrorist acts by states. A recent controversy over how to characterize and deal with one particular group, the. Kurdish protection forces or ypg, demonstrates how political and military considerations can influence decisions over which groups are designated as terrorists organizations. Ypg emerged in syria as the most effective local military force fighting against.
