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| :''How many remember the massacres at Wounded Knee, at Sand Creek, at the Washita, all carried out by U.S. Army units or by Colorado State militia against First Americans? It is very likely that each of these terrorist attacks resulted in greater numbers of deaths than ]'s bombing, but the exact totals will perhaps never be known because many died of exposure afterwards, as at Wounded Knee''. | :''How many remember the massacres at Wounded Knee, at Sand Creek, at the Washita, all carried out by U.S. Army units or by Colorado State militia against First Americans? It is very likely that each of these terrorist attacks resulted in greater numbers of deaths than ]'s bombing, but the exact totals will perhaps never be known because many died of exposure afterwards, as at Wounded Knee''. | ||
| :: And how many remember Fort Mims, where more whites were killed by ''civilized'', Christian Creeks than Lakotas were killed at Wounded Knee? And let's not forget murderous Apache raids against the Navajo, the Hopi, and the Pima -- whoops, that's politically incorrect, isn't it? | |||
| * U.S. action in Vietnam has been characterised as terrorism. According to , a review of ''Secret War Against Hanoi'' by Richard H. Shultz, Jr.: | * U.S. action in Vietnam has been characterised as terrorism. According to , a review of ''Secret War Against Hanoi'' by Richard H. Shultz, Jr.: | ||
Revision as of 22:50, 29 May 2006
- This article is about the term "American terrorism" as used in public discourse. For other uses, see American terrorism (disambiguation).
American terrorism is a political neologism meant to negatively characterize a variety of acts allegedly perpetrated by the government of the USA, by its citizens, or proxy agents.
Some of the controversy associated with the term involves disputes over the definition of terrorism, and some with the substance of the allegations. The term's usage (and controversy) appears to have increased in parallel with media coverage of terrorism since the September 11, 2001 attacks and the Bush administration's proclamation of a War on Terrorism, but its usage to refer to lynching dates back to at least 1996 .
Disputes over the use of the term
In any discussion of the proper usage of the term terrorism, identifying a common definition is a difficult and contentious matter.
One 1988 study by the US Army (PDF) found that over 100 definitions of the word terrorism have been used. That diversity of opinion has not, however, prevented politicians and the media from using the term "terrorism", or intellectuals such as Cornell West and Noam Chomsky from using the term "American terrorism" or associating themselves with it prominently in recent years.
Notable groups and individuals that use the term in the media
Usage of the term
Institute for Policy Studies scholar Professor Noam Chomsky has referred to the tactics used by agents of the US government and their proxies in their execution of US foreign policy in such countries as Nicaragua, Chile, Costa Rica, Honduras, Argentina, Colombia, Turkey, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia as a form of terrorism from which the term "American terrorism" has been drawn. Chomsky has also described the U.S as "a leading terrorist state." After President Bush began using the term "War on Terrorism," Chomsky stated:
The U.S. is officially committed to what is called "low-intensity warfare." If you read the definition of low-intensity conflict in army manuals and compare it with official definitions of "terrorism" in army manuals, or the U.S. Code, you find they're almost the same.
West described decades of official tolerance of lynching and crimes of violence against blacks as "American terrorism."
In an article about Timothy McVeigh, author Gore Vidal cites a 2001 New York Times article entitled "The Future of American Terrorism."
Author Rodney Clapp has described organized violence against blacks as "American terrorism."
Among the incidents described by others as terrorism committed by or on behalf of the United States government are those highlighted below.
- In 1982, the U.S. State Department called the activities of the Contras, who were armed and financed by the United States, "terrorist activities". The United States were found guilty of unlawful use of force by the International Court of Justice (Nicaragua v. United States; Sandanista; Iran-Contra Affair).
- The Massacre of Wounded Knee is described by some as an early incident of American terrorism. In McVeigh Terrorist Attack:Part of an Old Tradition?, Jack Forbes writes:
- Reporter after reporter told us that the Oklahoma City bombing by Timothy McVeigh was the worst terrorist attack ever perpetuated on U.S. soil. Either they have very racist definitions of what constitutes terrorism or they are very poorly educated in history!
- How many remember the massacres at Wounded Knee, at Sand Creek, at the Washita, all carried out by U.S. Army units or by Colorado State militia against First Americans? It is very likely that each of these terrorist attacks resulted in greater numbers of deaths than McVeigh's bombing, but the exact totals will perhaps never be known because many died of exposure afterwards, as at Wounded Knee.
- U.S. action in Vietnam has been characterised as terrorism. According to An account of American terrorism in Vietnam, a review of Secret War Against Hanoi by Richard H. Shultz, Jr.:
- At a time when acts of military aggression perpetrated or planned by the US government are typically justified in the name of fighting "international terrorism," a book has appeared which documents America's role as the organizer of the biggest campaign of terrorism and sabotage since World War II.
- Representatives of the former Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein, the Ba'ath Party, describe the current U.S.-led occupation as "American terrorism." In an Associated Press report from 12 November 05, , a member of the Jordanian branch of the Baath Party, lawyer Ziad al-Najdawi (who also has ties to Saddam's family) reacts to the death of Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri:
- "Izzat Ibrahim is a warrior and a militant who graduated from the school of the leader, Saddam Hussein, and both are graduates from the school of the Baath. He died while holding a gun and remained a leader for the resistance and liberation forces, rejecting American terrorism and Persian rule in Iraq"
Criticism of the term
Objections to the use of the term "American terrorism" frequently center around the following points:
- That renegade operations (like Calley's at My Lai) have always existed and probably will always exist in major military operations.
- That the U.S. government's record regarding its efforts to minimize civilian casualties in battle zones is more persuasive than that of many other governments.
- That use of the term terrorism is pejorative hyperbole used imprecisely (and inconsistently) by the far left, Islamists, and proponents of Anti-Americanism to negatively characterize the conduct of the government, culture, or people of the United States (Chomsky in particular has come under heavy criticism for his identification of contemporary American military actions with terrorism.)
External links
The phrasing of the following unrelated links reflect the pejoritive use of the term American terrorism:
- Civilians reported killed by military intervention in Iraq
- The Massacre of the Branch Davidians
- An account of American terrorism in Vietnam
- Terrorism In Early America
- Bush nominee linked to Latin American terrorism
- The Weapons Of American Terrorism
- Bush Terror Elite Wanted 9/11 to Happen
- America's list of terrorism
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