Abstract
The complexity and versatility of modern international relations, the struggle for energy resources, the division of spheres of influence between main geopolitical actors, the presence of problems of the global nature – all these factors greatly complicate the interaction of states in the international arena. Such difficulties give rise to many geopolitical strategies and tactics designed to protect the national interests of a particular state. And one such strategy may be state terrorism. First of all, it must be stated that the concept state terrorism has two aspects: internal political and foreign policy. Under state terrorism, internal political phenomenon is understood as the actions of state bodies' law and order against their own people. Often the state uses for this non-state terrorist structures. It is necessary to note that in world history, domestic terror is not a single occurrence. Most often it has manifested itself in totalitarian societies.
TopIntroduction
State terrorism is a term used to refer to state violence against civilians. Acts of state terrorism are usually understood as unlawful detentions, murders, abductions, torture, and execution of citizens without trial or investigation, carried out by law enforcement officers (police and other law enforcement agencies). State terrorism is also called terrorist acts committed by employees of special state bodies. State-supported terrorism is also distinguished - the case when the state, without itself participating in terrorism, finances and supports terrorist groups (Aust, 2010).
State support for terrorism is state support for non-state armed groups engaged in terrorism. Because of the varying definitions of terrorism, the list of specific examples is the subject of political debate.
Definition
One possible definition is the US State Department's list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. The composition of the list is determined by three US laws: the Export Administration Act of 1979, the Arms Export Control Act, and the Foreign Assistance Act. According to these laws, there are four types of sanctions imposed on the countries included in the list: restrictions on US foreign aid, a ban on the export and sale of defense products, certain controls on the export of dual-use items, and various financial and other restrictions. At the beginning of 2021, there are four countries on the list: North Korea, Iran, Sudan, and Syria (Williamson, 2009).
Geneva Declaration on Terrorism
The Geneva Conference on Terrorism in 1987 adopted the Declaration “The Geneva Declaration on Terrorism”, which defines the following phenomena as state terrorism:
- •
Police state practices against its citizens: surveillance, dispersal of meetings, news control (media), beatings, torture, false arrests, mass arrests, false charges, show trials, and murders.
- •
Delivery by a state of weapons of mass destruction to the territory of other states, to their territorial waters, or international waters.
- •
Military maneuvers and exercises carried out near the borders of another state and posing a threat to its independence and territorial integrity.
- •
An attack by the armed forces of a state on targets that poses a threat to the civilian population living in another state.
- •
Creation and support of armed groups of mercenaries to destroy the sovereignty of another state.
- •
Assassinations and attempted assassinations of statesmen of other states or national liberation movements, directed by the state, whether carried out by military strike, special operations, or hiring agents.
- •
Covert operations by intelligence or other state forces aimed at destabilizing or subjugating another state, a national liberation movement, or an international peace movement.
- •
disinformation campaigns aimed at destabilizing other states.
- •
Arms sales that support the continuation of regional wars and delay the political resolution of conflicts.
- •
Cancellation of civil rights and freedoms, provisions of the constitution, and laws under the pretext of countering terrorism.
- •
The development, testing, and deployment of nuclear and space weapons increase the likelihood of genocide and ecocide, dooming the poor to continued poverty and all of humanity to constant fear (Nairn, 2005).
Key Terms in this Chapter
International Terrorism: The threat or use of violence as a tactic of terrorism against targets in other countries.
Ethnic Cleansing: The extermination of an ethnic minority group by a state.
State-Sponsored Terrorism: Terrorist violence carried out with the active support of national governments provided to violent non-state actors. States can sponsor terrorist groups in several ways, including but not limited to funding terrorist organizations, providing training, supplying weapons, providing other logistical and intelligence assistance, and hosting groups within their borders. Because of the pejorative nature of the word, the identification of particular examples is often subject to political dispute and different definitions of terrorism.
State Terrorism: Refers to acts of terrorism that a state conducts against another state or its citizens.
Genocide: The attempt to eliminate in whole or in part, an ethnic, racial religious, or national minority group.
Terrorism: Premeditated violence perpetrated against non-combat targets by subnational or transnational groups or clandestine agents usually intended to influence an audience.
Crimes Against Humanity: A category of activities, made illegal at the Nuremberg war crime trials, condemning states that abuse human rights.