Talk:Suicide bombing/Temp
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Suicide bombing is a form of armed violence, belonging to the tactics of asymmetric warfare, where a person (a human bomb) willingly delivers and detonates an explosive charge in such a way that it results in their own death. In an effective suicide bombing, uaually a number of the uicide bomber's enemies are killed or the destruction of key enemy structures or materiel occurs.
[edit] Bombings
Suicide bombing usually (but not always) targets poorly-guarded nonmilitary facilities and personnel. It can be either a military tactic, a political one, or a mixture of the two. It may qualify as terrorism where the intention is to kill, maim or terrorise a predominantly civilian target population, or fall within the definition of an act of war where it is committed against a military target under war conditions.
As a political tactic, suicide bombings send a message of impassioned opposition to enemy forces (that the bomber is willing to die for his cause) and a message of desperate recklessness to third parties (that the bomber feels the justice of the cause so strongly that he would rather die than submit and that he is giving little thought to the danger).
When used against civilian targets, suicide bombing often causes fear in the target population greater than that caused by other forms of terrorism, as the fact that the bomber intends to die makes deterrence impossible. Though use against civilian targets have differing effects on their goals (see reaction below). Some economists suggest that this tactic goes beyond symbolism and is actually a response to commodified or controlled or devalued lives, and consider family prestige and financial compensation from the community to compensate for their own life.
In common with other acts of asymmetric warfare, it is almost always a response by members of a group with little power to actions by a group with great power. Groups which have significant power have no need to resort to suicide bombing to achieve their aims: in consequence suicide bombing is overwhelmingly used by guerrilla, unlawful enemy combatants, and other irregular fighting forces. Among many such groups, there are religious overtones: bombers and their supporters may believe that their sacrifice will be rewarded in an afterlife. Suicide bombers often believe, correctly or incorrectly, that their actions are in accordance with moral or social standards because they are aimed at fighting unjust acts.
[edit] History
Self-sacrifice has always been a concept as part of war. From the earliest days of honoring fallen soldiers as heroes, the concept of self-sacrifice for the cause of one's society or beliefs has been and remains a highly regarded archetype within human societies. Soldiers who lay down their lives to protect their comrades are commonly awarded the highest recognition for courage in battle, while those who survive combat are honored for their sacrifice of time, of innocence, and other injury. Though unlike soldiers that respect the laws of war (which have been observed for centuries in one form or another), suicide bombers do not adhere to primarily targeting military targets alone.
The act of deliberately destroying oneself to inflict harm on an enemy is more restricted to modern times and the era of explosives. The line between the two is considered by some a matter of subjectivity, as in the argument that many WWII soldiers killed were "martyrs" (in the sense that they were to suffer for the sake of a principle, rather than dying as the penalty for refusing to renounce a belief) because their life expectancy in combat was very low -- often averaging only two or three months.
The ritual act of self-sacrifice during combat appeared in a large scale at the end of World War II with the Japanese kamikaze bombers. In these attacks, airplanes were used as flying bombs -- Later in the war, as Japan became more desperate, this act became formalized, ritualized, and planes were outfitted with explosives specific to the task of a suicide mission. Kamikaze strikes were a weapon of symmetric war used by the Empire of Japan chiefly against United States Navy aircraft carriers. The Japanese also sent two-man midget submarines, essentially manned torpedoes, on suicide missions. After aiming the sub at their target, the two crew members were to embrace and shoot each other in the head. Social support for such choices was strong, due in part to Japanese cultural history, in which seppuku, honorable suicide, was part of samurai duty. It was also fostered and indoctrinated by the Imperial program to persuade, often through coercion (such as through doping), the Japanese soldiers to commit these acts.
Guerrilla groups that have employed suicide bombing include the Kurdistan Workers Party and the Tamil Tigers. Suicide bombing has been a particularly popular tactic amongst some Palestinian guerrilla groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. Bombers affiliated with these groups often use so-called "suicide belts", explosive devices designed to be strapped to the body under clothing. The manufacture and shipping of these devices is generally considered a form of support for terrorism. The term "suicide bombing" became commonplace after the attack on a United States Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1983.
The September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack used large fully-fueled planes as enormous cruise missiles flown into buildings, killing the planes' hijackers, and causing over 2,500 casualties in the process -- making it the most destructive suicide bombing in history. It also had vast economic and political impact: for a cost of 20 attackers' lives and apparently under US$100,000, global markets registered a trillion-dollar drop within a week, and huge new expenditures for military and surveillance technology were "justified".
[edit] Reactions
World leaders usually express resolve to continue on their previous course of affairs after such attacks. Leaders around the globe denounce suicide bombings and sometimes vow not to let such bombings deter what they see as their efforts to futher civilization.
Suicide bombing usually brings a harsh reaction from enemy forces. As the suicide bomber himself (the bombers are almost always young men) cannot be targetted, responses often target the community or organization he came from. In the West Bank the armed forces of Israel usually demolish homes which are claimed to be those of families whose children have volunteered for such missions.
It is sometimes claimed that suicide bombings, notably those of the Japanese kamikazes, the Palestinian bombers, and even the September 11, 2001 attacks, were military failures, and highly counter-productive to the perpetrators. In the case of the kamikazes, this is seen as untrue by some: although the kamikaze attacks could not stop the Allied advance, they inflicted more casualties and delayed the fall of Japan for longer than might have been the case using only the conventional methods available to the Empire. The kamikaze attacks did reinforce the resolution of the WWII Allies to destroy the Imperial force, though. In the case of the September 11th attacks, the long-term effects remain to be seen, but in the short to medium term, the results were profound: since September 11th Western nations have diverted massive resources into unexpected areas and no citizen remains untouched.
The Palestinian suicide bombings, however, are more challenging to assess to some. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there was a steady and continuous deployment of suicide bombers in 2000 following the collapse of the Camp David II summit between the PLO and Israel. In response, Israel mobilized its army in order to seal off the Gaza Strip and re-occupy the West Bank, placing it under military rule with the area patrolled by tanks, and the Israelis began a campaign of targeted assassinations to terminate militant Palestinian leaders (using jets and helicopters for this purpose).
Most significantly, the suicide missions having killed hundreds and maimed thousands of Israelis is believed by some to have brought on a move to the political right and the rise of a hard-line government and policy headed by the militaristic general, prime minister Ariel Sharon. Sharon's government has imposed restrictions on the Palestinian community, making commerce, travel, schooling, and everyday life difficult for the Palestinians, with the average Palestinian suffering due to the choices of the suicide bombers.
Social support by some for this activity remains, however, as of the calling of a truce at the end of June 2003. This may be due to the economic or social purpose of the suicide bombing and the refusal to accept external judgements on those who sanction them. The peace plan presently being discussed may be better from the Palestinians' point of view than that which existed prior to the 2000 renewal of conflict. Such attacks, though, have stalled and stopped peace plans in the past (which continues the Palestinian occupation), so these attacks may be counterproductive. Suicide bombing may thus "work" as a military tactic (in that it may cost fewer lives than any conventional war) and may or may not achieve the political objectives sought by the combatant. It is likely to remain a feature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Compare with: Homicide bombing, Martyrdom operation
See also: terrorism, asymmetric warfare, assassination
[edit] External links, resources, references
- Suicide Bombers - Why do they do it, and what does Islam say about their actions?
- What makes suicide bombers tick? - Suicide bomber profile and info
- Why We Have Become Suicide Bombers : Understanding Palestinian Terror
- The Culture of Martyrdom - How suicide bombing became not just a means but an end
- Erased In A Moment : Suicide Bombing Attacks Against Israeli Civilians [Human Rights Watch]
- History of use of the phrase "suicide bomber"
[edit] Alternate version
Suicide bombing is a form of armed violence, belonging to the tactics of asymmetric warfare, where a person willingly delivers and detonates an explosive charge in such a way that it results in their own death and (if the attack is effective) that of a number of their enemies or destruction of key enemy structures or materiel. This neologism became commonplace after the attack on a U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1983.
Suicide bombing usually (but not always) targets poorly-guarded nonmilitary facilities and personnel. It can be either a military tactic, a political one, or a mixture of the two. It may qualify as terrorism where the intention is to kill, maim or terrorise a predominantly civilian target population, or fall within the definition of an act of war where it is committed against a military target under war conditions.
As a political tactic, suicide bombings send a message of impassioned opposition to enemy forces (that the bomber is willing to die for his cause) and a message of desperate recklessness to third parties (that the bomber feels the justice of the cause so strongly that he would rather die than submit and that he is giving little thought to the danger).
When used against civilian targets, suicide bombing often causes fear in the target population greater than that caused by other forms of terrorism, as the fact that the bomber intends to die makes deterrence impossible. Though use against civilian targets have differing effects on their goals (see reaction below). Some economists suggest that this tactic goes beyond symbolism and is actually a response to commodified or controlled or devalued lives, and consider family prestige and financial compensation from the community to compensate for their own life.
In common with other acts of asymmetric warfare, it is almost always a response by members of a group with little power to actions by a group with great power. Groups which have significant power have no need to resort to suicide bombing to achieve their aims: in consequence suicide bombing is overwhelmingly used by guerrilla, unlawful enemy combatants, and other irregular fighting forces. Among many such groups, there are religious overtones: bombers and their supporters may believe that their sacrifice will be rewarded in an afterlife. Suicide bombers often believe, correctly or incorrectly, that their actions are in accordance with moral or social standards because they are aimed at fighting unjust acts.
[edit] Other Neologisms
Homicide bombing is a neologism, used in its present context by Ari Fleischer in April, 2002 (though it's earliest citation of the present context is around July, 1998), that was coined to de-emphasize the self-sacrificial connotations of suicide bombing and emphasize a criminal connotation. Homicide bombing can include any individual that uses explosives to kill others, regardless of if the individual is killed in the act or not.
Proponents of this phrase believe that homicide is a more appropriate label than suicide, because suicide by definition refers to killing oneself, whereas the act referred to by suicide bombing is actually intended to kill many other people. This is an attempt to define the act more specifically as a crime, not an act of war or politics. The addition of the word "homicide" emphasises the act's unlawfulness and negative implications. This term is referred to and preferred above other terms by the Bush administration and some news organizations (such as the Fox News Channel).
Critics contend that the phrase is repeating the same thing in different words because the bombing part of the phrase implies the homicidal nature of the action, whereas the adjective suicide is needed to distinguish from bombing in which the bomber does not intend to be killed, because those willing to commit suicide are less susceptible to deterrence.
Other critics see this act as a legitimate one worthy of the honor of their cause, belief or community. They decline to associate either suicide or homicide in their reference to these attacks.
Martyrdom operation is a neologism used by armed Muslim militants, or other similar or related groups, to refer to suicide attacks. Islamist militants use this term as they do not see their attacks as an act of suicide, which is prohibited by Islam. Osama bin Laden called the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon a "martyrdom operation." Palestinians primarily speak of a ‘martyrdom operation’ as opposed to ‘suicide bombing.’ The Iraqi administration refered to suicide attacks on invading troops during the 2003 Iraq war in these terms also, and, in particular, their promise to retake the Baghdad airport. While most combat involves a chance of death, a "martyrdom operation" implies a deliberate act of self-sacrificial suicide and a systematic form of terrorism.
[edit] History
Self-sacrifice has always been a concept as part of war. From the earliest days of honoring fallen soldiers as heroes, the concept of self-sacrifice for the cause of one's society or beliefs has been and remains a highly regarded archetype within human societies. Soldiers who lay down their lives to protect their comrades are commonly awarded the highest recognition for courage in battle, while those who survive combat are honored for their sacrifice of time, of innocence, and other injury. Though unlike soldiers that respect the laws of war (which have been observed for centuries in one form or another), suicide bombers do not adhere to primarily targeting military targets alone.
The act of deliberately destroying oneself to inflict harm on an enemy is more restricted to modern times and the era of explosives. The line between the two is considered by some a matter of subjectivity, as in the argument that many WWII soldiers killed were "martyrs" (in the sense that they were to suffer for the sake of a principle, rather than dying as the penalty for refusing to renounce a belief) because their life expectancy in combat was very low -- often averaging only two or three months.
The ritual act of self-sacrifice during combat appeared in a large scale at the end of World War II with the Japanese kamikaze bombers. In these attacks, airplanes were used as flying bombs -- Later in the war, as Japan became more desperate, this act became formalized, ritualized, and planes were outfitted with explosives specific to the task of a suicide mission. Kamikaze strikes were a weapon of symmetric war used by the Empire of Japan chiefly against United States Navy aircraft carriers. The Japanese also sent two-man midget submarines, essentially manned torpedoes, on suicide missions. After aiming the sub at their target, the two crew members were to embrace and shoot each other in the head. Social support for such choices was strong, due in part to Japanese cultural history, in which seppuku, honorable suicide, was part of samurai duty. It was also fostered and indoctrinated by the Imperial program to persuade, often through coercion (such as through doping), the Japanese soldiers to commit these acts.
Guerrilla groups that have employed suicide bombing include the Kurdistan Workers Party and the Tamil Tigers. Suicide bombing has been a particularly popular tactic amongst some Palestinian guerrilla groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. Bombers affiliated with these groups often use so-called "suicide belts", explosive devices designed to be strapped to the body under clothing. The manufacture and shipping of these devices is generally considered a form of support for terrorism.
The September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack used large fully-fueled planes as enormous cruise missiles flown into buildings, killing the planes' hijackers, and causing over 2,500 casualties in the process -- making it the most destructive suicide bombing in history. It also had vast economic and political impact: for a cost of 20 attackers' lives and apparently under US$100,000, global markets registered a trillion-dollar drop within a week, and huge new expenditures for military and surveillance technology were "justified".
[edit] Reactions
World leaders usually express resolve to continue on their previous course of affairs after such attacks. Leaders around the globe denounce suicide bombings and sometimes vow not to let such bombings deter what they see as their efforts to futher civilization.
Suicide bombing usually brings a harsh reaction from enemy forces. As the suicide bomber himself (the bombers are almost always young men) cannot be targetted, responses often target the community or organization he came from. In the West Bank the armed forces of Israel usually demolish homes which are claimed to be those of families whose children have volunteered for such missions.
It is sometimes claimed that suicide bombings, notably those of the Japanese kamikazes, the Palestinian bombers, and even the September 11, 2001 attacks, were military failures, and highly counter-productive to the perpetrators. In the case of the kamikazes, this is seen as untrue by some: although the kamikaze attacks could not stop the Allied advance, they inflicted more casualties and delayed the fall of Japan for longer than might have been the case using only the conventional methods available to the Empire. The kamikaze attacks did reinforce the resolution of the WWII Allies to destroy the Imperial force, though. In the case of the September 11th attacks, the long-term effects remain to be seen, but in the short to medium term, the results were profound: since September 11th Western nations have diverted massive resources into unexpected areas and no citizen remains untouched.
The Palestinian suicide bombings, however, are more challenging to assess to some. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there was a steady and continuous deployment of suicide bombers in 2000 following the collapse of the Camp David II summit between the PLO and Israel. In response, Israel mobilized its army in order to seal off the Gaza Strip and re-occupy the West Bank, placing it under military rule with the area patrolled by tanks, and the Israelis began a campaign of targeted assassinations to terminate militant Palestinian leaders (using jets and helicopters for this purpose).
Most significantly, the suicide missions having killed hundreds and maimed thousands of Israelis is believed by some to have brought on a move to the political right and the rise of a hard-line government and policy headed by the militaristic general, prime minister Ariel Sharon. Sharon's government has imposed restrictions on the Palestinian community, making commerce, travel, schooling, and everyday life difficult for the Palestinians, with the average Palestinian suffering due to the choices of the suicide bombers.
Social support by some for this activity remains, however, as of the calling of a truce at the end of June 2003. This may be due to the economic or social purpose of the suicide bombing and the refusal to accept external judgements on those who sanction them. The peace plan presently being discussed may be better from the Palestinians' point of view than that which existed prior to the 2000 renewal of conflict. Such attacks, though, have stalled and stopped peace plans in the past (which continues the Palestinian occupation), so these attacks may be counterproductive. Suicide bombing may thus "work" as a military tactic (in that it may cost fewer lives than any conventional war) and may or may not achieve the political objectives sought by the combatant. It is likely to remain a feature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
See also: terrorism, asymmetric warfare, assassination
[edit] External links, resources, references
- Suicide Bombers - Why do they do it, and what does Islam say about their actions?
- What makes suicide bombers tick? - Suicide bomber profile and info
- Why We Have Become Suicide Bombers : Understanding Palestinian Terror
- The Culture of Martyrdom - How suicide bombing became not just a means but an end
- Erased In A Moment : Suicide Bombing Attacks Against Israeli Civilians [Human Rights Watch]
- History of use of the phrase "homicide bombing"
- History of use of the phrase "suicide bomber"
