The Nature of Terrorism and Political Change

The automatic and overwhelming question after an act of terrorism is why. The answer is almost as slow to appear as the act was instantaneous. I would like to suggest this approach: study the methods and motivations of ordinary political change and then apply that knowledge to the extreme elements in our society.

Ordinarily all political systems are in perpetual change. This change is driven by all of the leading and minor players. Anyone who is committed to changing "the system" may participate. Most change comes from the center of the political spectrum--hereafter called the reformers. The reformers are driven to make changes by all elements of the system but most strongly by the special interests of its own party--hereafter called the radicals. The changes are rarely what the radicals had in mind but it is change all the same. Think of the system as a filter--change filters in from the outside to the radicals and on to the reformers and is finally accepted or not. Occasionally radicals from both sides will agree and make an unfiltered change but this is rare.

On the fringes of participation are revolutionaries and terrorists. Terrorists assert that the system is corrupt because it filters legislation. Revolutionaries assert that the system is dysfunctional and filtering only the changes that will benefit it. To the terrorist everything is black and white, pro and con, good and evil. Unlike the radicals the terrorist is unwilling to use the system for change. Think of the child who is frustrated by a card game and throws all of the cards into the air. The terrorist would like to throw the system into the air and damn the consequences. The revolutionary is willing to see the terrorist succeed. If they do actually join forces the revolution is premature and will be corrupted--Soviet communism is an example. Most often the terrorist's objective is not power but the destruction of power or more precisely, the destruction of the illusion of power.

By shattering the peace the terrorist is trying to underscore the fact that your government cannot protect you. The terrorist is right; we will always be vulnerable to such attacks. The only way to stop terrorism is to improve the sense of helplessness that breeds such contempt. It must be improved in Indonesia, Morocco, Egypt, Arabia, Tanzania, Kenya, Columbia and a host of other places where hopelessness is the order of the day. We cannot coexist with such poverty and disease, and oppression. We have to ease it. Not because of terrorists, but because it is right and just. Terrorism to a healthy system is a symptom and nothing more. Terrorism to a corrupt system is a death Nell.