POLI 244 Lecture Notes - Asymmetric Warfare, Guerrilla Warfare, Safe Havens
Document Summary
Announcements: conferences next week are cancelled, put your ta"s name of the cover of your paper. General theoretical definition of terrorism: a tactic of sorts (similar to other tactic offered by shelling, threats and coercion) that involves violence, what are the political goals? (broadly) To try and bring (coercive) pressure on governments or states by applying force on the civilians. It can be intelligible, not random killing, but for a purpose: historically not confined to one area of the world (europe, russia, not limited to any ideology. This blurs the boundaries and makes it difficult to address the issues. What are the weapons/tactics: a weapon of the weak, an asymmetrical form of warfare. When the terror group faces an overwhelming opponent (asymmetrical warfare) If the target government is responsive to its citizens: the terror organization has a very small constituency (hence why it is asymmetrical violence)