ipl-logo

How Does The Rise Of Transnational Terrorism Affect The SD?

1485 Words6 Pages

Scholars of International Relations have been studying John Herz’s Security Dilemma (SD) since the 1950s and it has become an essential part of the realist IR theory. Herz’s description of “a structural notion in which the self-help attempts of states to look after their security needs tend, regardless of intention, to lead to rising insecurity for others as each interprets its own measures as defensive and measures of others as potentially threatening” (Herz 1951, p.7) has aided scholars to analyse complex political situations where this Dilemma has triggered outcomes such as WW1. Nevertheless, there are several voices reconsidering if the SD is still applicable to the issues politics has to face today, terrorism being one of them. This leads us to the following statement: “The rise of transnational terrorism has transformed the Security Dilemma”. In the following essay I will argue that transnational terrorism, along with historical factors, has indeed slightly transformed the SD but that its true essence remains the same. I will do so by looking at the relevance of 1989 and 9/11 for the SD, then discuss how terrorism and specifically state sponsored terrorism affects the SD by …show more content…

Active sponsorship is the direct involvement of the state with a TO and it includes controlling an organization, coordinating the states interests with that of the TO (Iran/ Hizbollah) and or being in contact with a TO. The situation gets even more complex, when so-called “passive sponsorship” is involved. This term describes either knowing toleration, unconcern/ignorance or a state’s incapacity to control its own territory. These factors are still important for a TOs survival. Douglas Feith explains: “while terrorists might be described as “stateless”, they ultimately depend on regimes like the Taliban (in Afghanistan) to operate” (Cerny, 2012,p.12

Show More
Related
344 Words | 2 Pages

• We can all agree that chapter nine from the book was talking about the different kinds of crime control strategies, assumptions, reporting and investigation and most importantly solving the crime. • After I read chapter nine , I was curious to see what types of terrorisms are tremendous threats and which of those are not as much. • So let me begin by saying I’m only going to talk about three (3) types of terrorism, there are a bunch more

Read More
280 Words | 2 Pages

How has the meaning of “terrorism” changed in the 1980s compared to previous decades? The 1980s was a decade of change in the field of terrorism. Following the Jerusalem Conference on International Terrorism, the meaning of terrorism sifts from a from an act of violence perpetrated by an organization or individual with political or religious pretensions that used said act as a political statement. After the Jerusalem Conference, terrorism becomes a tool used by the Soviet Union to control the Western countries and spread communism.

Read More
549 Words | 3 Pages

In other words, the definition of terrorism, in theory, is different from what’s being demonstrated in reality. Many crimes would be qualified as terrorist if the definition is fully applied. Some groups are categorized as terrorists while others are not. The author explains this irregularity by what the political objectives are. This irregularity does not mean arbitrariness but it means bias instead.

Read More
194 Words | 1 Pages

The Security dilemma is the notion that states need to secure their borders by increasing military strength or strengthening alliances. This action often leads to other states responding with similar measures, with an end result of increasing the tensions and threats to each other states, even though that is not the goal. For example if we strengthened our military along the Canadian boarder, even though we told them that we would not attack, as a result Canada would strengthen their army regardless. This cycle would keep repeating it self, unless someone eventually attacked. The most well known case of the security dilemma was between the USSR and the United States in the Arm’s race during the Cold War.

Read More
888 Words | 4 Pages

“9/11 changed America fundamentally, far more so than outsiders realized at the time. For Americans it genuinely was a new Pearl Harbour, an attack on the homeland that made them feel vulnerable for the first time in 60 years,” (Powell, 2003). The terrorist attacks of 9/11 affect America today because they instigated the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the “War on Terror,” and led to an increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes. “Often referred to as 9/11, the attacks resulted in extensive death and destruction, triggering major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defining the presidency of George W. Bush,” (9/11, 2010). The most noticeable of these effects was the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

Read More
1171 Words | 5 Pages

On 9/11, terrorist-hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center and the South Tower, killing nearly 3,000 American citizens. This tragic attack caught the United States by surprise and forced them to become more cautious and aware. Terrorism challenged everything the United States has believed in, including liberty, equality, the rule of law, individualism, and limited

Read More
1888 Words | 8 Pages

Background & Context: The War on Terror has plagued the wellbeing of nations across the globe since its start in 2001 (Peters). This ‘war’ has been viewed as: an “ideological struggle” between the US and who the United States believes is involved in terrorist organizations (Peters). Post 9/11, the United States was in culture shock. This was due to the sudden intrusion of fear that blossomed in the hearts and minds of Americans. Terrorism was making itself a real and imposing threat.

Read More
1460 Words | 6 Pages

Terrorism and its impact on policing Stockton University Grizel Rivera 10/28/2015 Abstract Terrorism has not made a lasting impact on Americans until September 11, 2001. Since 9/11, research on terrorism has been increasing and it had been determined that terrorism is a complex area. So law enforcement needs to be educated on the different aspects of terrorism. Since September 11th, local, state, and federal law enforcement have made changes to become more effective in detecting terrorists and deterring attacks.

Read More
878 Words | 4 Pages

Core values usually fuse self-interest with more fundamental goals like the defense of the state’s organizing ideology, such as liberal capitalism, the protection of political institutions, and the safeguarding to its physical base or territorial integrity. ”14 Leffler continues with a detour about power, specifically how power derives from economic capability and the wielding of power for the protection of core values.15 Then, approaching the conclusion, Leffler restates the thesis, “National security is about the protection of core values, that is, the identification of threats, and the adoption of policies to protect core values. ”16 The article struggles to prove the thesis because core values are not specifically defined and Leffler’s position on national security policy is unclear. The closest opinion expressed by Leffler is the concluding sentence, “If threats are exaggerated and commitments overextended, if one’s credibility is vested in the achievement of too many goals, one’s relative power will erode and one’s core values may become imperiled. There is an ominous dynamic influencing the behavior powers of great powers.

Read More
830 Words | 4 Pages

International relations refers to the nature of collaborations between two or more nations. Moreover, it defines the uniting factors that countries seek when establishing partnerships. In the article “Security Seeking under Anarchy: Defensive Realism Revisited” by Jeffrey Taliaferro, the author attempts to determine whether international systems provide motivation for nations to expand their territories. Two primary strands of contemporary theories have been utilized to provide answers to the queries made by the article, namely offensive realism and defensive realism (Taliaferro, 2001). Yet, both concepts offer different solutions to the international relations, defensive realism appears more efficient since it provides optimism and incentives for nations to maximize relative security.

Read More
908 Words | 4 Pages

One of the most commonly known terrorist attacks was 9/11. On September 11, 2001, there were a series of attacks launched by the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda upon the United States in New York City. These attacks killed 2, 996 people and caused at least $10 billion in property damage. Two viewpoints on this issue can be differed from the ideologies of conservatives and liberals. Conservatives feel that terrorism is strongly one of the greatest opposing threats to American interests.

Read More
469 Words | 2 Pages

According to Kang (2004), the United States strongly persuading countries to improve their own gaps in security and terrorists exploiting

Read More
1638 Words | 7 Pages

After the fall of the Soviet Union (USSR), the United States (US) being the only superpower remaining, becomes a global hegemon. The hegemonic stability theory explains that because hegemon faces no power challenges and have the power to remove regional conflict, it reduces interstate conflict over security concerns and ensure peace. This essentially increases the prominence of non-state actors in the international arena and shifts the focus of interstate Cold War security concerns to contemporary security issues like nuclear weapons proliferation and possession, terrorism and civil wars, particularly ethnic civil wars. Although realism still provides some framework to explaining new security issues, it is too rooted in its assumptions and

Read More
990 Words | 4 Pages

In recent decades, the world has become the most dangerous chapter. A sharp surge in the war in recent years is ahead of our ability to cope with the consequences. From the global crisis of refugees to the spread of terrorism, our shared inability to resolve the conflict generates new fears and emergencies. Even in nonviolent societies, the policy of fear leads to dangerous demagoguery and polarization. The year 2015 was bad for international peace and security.

Read More
1267 Words | 6 Pages

(Axworthy, 2001). There is no all-encompassing, succinct, conclusive definition of security as while scholars of International Relations recognize its existence on the agenda of states they are unable to agree as to what its definition should be. Various theoretical paradigms present varying arguments for the definition of security, who it

Read More

More about How Does The Rise Of Transnational Terrorism Affect The SD?

Related Topics

Open Document