HairsplittingÂ…someone clearly has too much time on their hands.
B
The following was extracted from the "Terrorism Research" website cited
below.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TERRORISM & INSURGENCY
If no single definition of terrorism produces a precise, unambiguous
description, we can approach the question by eliminating similar activities
that are not terrorism, but that appear to overlap. For the U.S. military,
two such related concepts probably lead to more confusion than others.
Guerilla warfare and insurgencies are often assumed to be synonymous with
terrorism. One reason for this is that insurgencies and terrorism often have
similar goals. However, if we examine insurgency and guerilla warfare,
specific differences emerge.
A key difference is that an insurgency is a movement - a political effort
with a specific aim. This sets it apart from both guerilla warfare and
terrorism, as they are both methods available to pursue the goals of the
political movement.
Another difference is the intent of the component activities and operations
of insurgencies versus terrorism. There is nothing inherent in either
insurgency or guerilla warfare that requires the use of terror. While some
of the more successful insurgencies and guerilla campaigns employed
terrorism and terror tactics, and some developed into conflicts where terror
tactics and terrorism became predominant; there have been others that
effectively renounced the use of terrorism. The deliberate choice to use
terrorism considers its effectiveness in inspiring further resistance,
destroying government efficiency, and mobilizing support. Although there are
places where terrorism, guerilla warfare, and criminal behavior all overlap,
groups that are exclusively terrorist, or subordinate "wings" of
insurgencies formed to specifically employ terror tactics, demonstrate clear
differences in their objectives and operations. Disagreement on the costs of
using terror tactics, or whether terror operations are to be given primacy
within the insurgency campaign, have frequently led to the "urban guerilla"
or terrorist wings of an insurgency splintering off to pursue the
revolutionary goal by their own methods.
The ultimate goal of an insurgency is to challenge the existing government
for control of all or a portion of its territory, or force political
concessions in sharing political power.
Insurgencies require the active or tacit support of some portion of the
population involved. External support, recognition or approval from other
countries or political entities can be useful to insurgents, but is not
required. A terror group does not require and rarely has the active support
or even the sympathy of a large fraction of the population. While insurgents
will frequently describe themselves as "insurgents" or "guerillas",
terrorists will not refer to themselves as "terrorists" but describe
themselves using military or political terminology ("freedom fighters",
"soldiers", "activists"). Terrorism relies on public impact, and is
therefore conscious of the advantage of avoiding the negative connotations
of the term "terrorists" in identifying themselves.
Terrorism does not attempt to challenge government forces directly, but acts
to change perceptions as to the effectiveness or legitimacy of the
government itself. This is done by ensuring the widest possible knowledge of
the acts of terrorist violence among the target audience. Rarely will
terrorists attempt to "control" terrain, as it ties them to identifiable
locations and reduces their mobility and security. Terrorists as a rule
avoid direct confrontations with government forces. A guerilla force may
have something to gain from a clash with a government combat force, such as
proving that they can effectively challenge the military effectiveness of
the government. A terrorist group has nothing to gain from such a clash.
This is not to say that they do not target military or security forces, but
that they will not engage in anything resembling a "fair fight", or even a
"fight" at all. Terrorists use methods that neutralize the strengths of
conventional forces. Bombings and mortar attacks on civilian targets where
military or security personnel spend off-duty time, ambushes of undefended
convoys, and assassinations of poorly protected individuals are common
tactics.
Insurgency need not require the targeting of non-combatants, although many
insurgencies expand the accepted legal definition of combatants to include
police and security personnel in addition to the military. Terrorists do not
discriminate between combatants and non-combatants, or if they do, they
broaden the category of "combatants" so much as to render it meaningless.
Defining all members of a nation or ethnic group, plus any citizen of any
nation that supports that nation as "combatants" is simply a justification
for frightfulness. Deliberate de-humanization and criminalization of the
enemy in the terrorists' mind justifies extreme measures against anyone
identified as hostile. Terrorists often expand their groups of acceptable
targets, and conduct operations against new targets without any warning or
notice of hostilities.
Ultimately, the difference between insurgency and terrorism comes down to
the intent of the actor. Insurgency movements and guerilla forces can adhere
to international norms regarding the law of war in achieving their goals,
but terrorists are by definition conducting crimes under both civil and
military legal codes. Terrorists routinely claim that were they to adhere to
any "law of war" or accept any constraints on the scope of their violence,
it would place them at a disadvantage vis-Ă -vis the establishment. Since the
nature of the terrorist mindset is absolutist, their goals are of paramount
importance, and any limitations on a terrorist's means to prosecute the
struggle are unacceptable.
SOURCE: http://www.terrorism-research.com/insurgency/
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