Terrorist Groups

Distinguishing Terrorist Groups from other Phenomena of Violence

Terrorist groups—or more precisely terrorist cells, squads, and commands—should analytically be distinguished from other phenomena of violence. First, terrorist groups are groups in the sense that they comprise a number of members who are bound together by some kind of organizational structure, which exists over a certain period of time. According to some national legislations (e.g., that in Germany), a minimum of three persons is required in an organization to speak about it as a “terrorist organization.” This implies that violent acts by single individuals (gunmen, killers, snipers, homicide, etc.) do not fall into that category. Second, because of their political ambitions, however defined, terrorist groups differ from primarily criminally or economically motivated organizations—such as criminal gangs, mafia structures, syndicates, warlords, or mercenaries. This distinction does not exclude the fact that individual members of terrorist organizations may be economically motivated; indeed, sometimes, terrorist groups may exploit the socioeconomic needs of particular persons or segments of the society for their own ends. Moreover, terrorist groups often undertake criminal activities (e.g., drug trafficking)—or cooperate with criminals (e.g., to get weapons and explosives)—to finance and launch terrorist operations. Therefore, a terrorist–criminal nexus usually exists. But the key question still remains as to whether the economic and criminal activities are [Page 2595]ends in themselves or whether they are instruments to further a political and ideological agenda. Third, terrorist groups should be distinguished from other politically motivated actors, in particular from rebel or guerrilla groups, militias, and paramilitary organizations. Rebel movements in general aim at the conquest of and—if possible—permanent control over territory. Terrorist groups, on the other hand, might have territorial ambitions; however, they simply lack the capabilities to conquer and control larger territories. In addition, while rebels usually employ physical violence in the context of unconventional warfare (insurgencies) to diminish their opponent's military clout, to defeat the enemy, or force it to surrender, terrorist groups are mainly interested in the psychological effects of violent acts. In the real world, it may still be difficult to uphold these ideal-type distinctions as some groups may transform from one type of actor to another in the course of a conflict, while others have to be seen as hybrid organizations, which incorporate features of both rebel or militia and terrorist groups (e.g., the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka and Hizbollah [also known as Hezbollah] in Lebanon).

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