Rethinking the Roots of Terrorism

Rethinking the Roots of Terrorism

Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies Series Editor: Oliver Richmond, Reader, School of International Relations, University of St. Andrews Titles include: Jason Franks RETHINKING THE ROOTS OF TERRORISM James Ker-Lindsay EU ACCESSION AND UN PEACEMAKING IN CYPRUS Carol McQueen HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION AND SAFETY ZONES Iraq, Bosnia and Rwanda Oliver P. Richmond THE TRANSFORMATION OF PEACE Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies Series Standing Order ISBN 1 4039 9575 3 (hardback) & 1 4039 9575 1 (paperback) You can receive future titles in this series as they are published by placing a standing order. Please contact your bookseller or, in case of difficulty, write to us at the address below with your name and address, the title of the series and the ISBNs quoted above. Customer Services Department, Macmillan Distribution Ltd, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS, England.

Rethinking the Roots of Terrorism Jason Franks Research Fellow, School of International Relations University of St Andrews, UK

Jason Franks 2006 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2006 978-1-4039-8718-1 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2006 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-54125-6 ISBN 978-0-230-50242-0 (ebook) DOI 10.1057/9780230502420 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Franks, Jason, 1969 Rethinking the roots of terrorism / Jason Franks. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-349-54125-6 1. Terrorism. I. Title. HV6431.F722 2006 363.325 dc22 2005056377 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06

Contents Preface Acknowledgements Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations vi vii viii Introduction 1 1 The Root Causes of Terrorism: Orthodox Terrorism Theory 11 2 Approaches to Conflict: The Root Causes 48 3 Conflict and Terrorism: A Comparative Analysis 86 4 Discourses on Conflict and Terrorism: 120 The Palestinian-Israeli Case 5 Rethinking the Roots of Terrorism 159 Summary of Conclusions: Rethinking Terrorism 193 Notes 207 Bibliography 236 Index 245 v

Preface This study examines the new terrorism debate and is intended to rethink the root causes of terrorism by examining alternative approaches, in part provided by conflict theory, to the predominant understanding of terrorism provided by what it identifies as orthodox terrorism theory. It presents a critical and discourse analysis approach to explaining and understanding the roots of terrorism and focuses initially on a description and explanation of the existence of orthodox terrorism discourse, clarifying how and why it is constructed, what it is used for and the associated implications it has for understanding terrorism. The study also aims to explore the range of alternative perspectives of terrorism created in terrorism and conflict studies by using different levels of analysis. The purpose is to develop a multi-level and multi-dimensional framework for rethinking the roots of terrorism based upon the most sophisticated theoretical approaches provided by terrorism and conflict studies. This framework, which also provides a reflexive critique of orthodox terrorism theory, is not intended as a new theory of terrorism but represents an attempt to provide a broader, more comprehensive and holistic approach to the problem of terrorism. In order to test this comprehensive framework for the analysis of terrorism, this study examines the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and discusses how orthodox terrorism theory is employed by Israel. It also demonstrates how Palestinian terrorism can be re-examined through the application of the alternative framework to reveal a considerably more comprehensive, multi-dimensional and multi-level understanding of the root causes of terrorism. The conclusion of this study suggests that rethinking terrorism will provide an increasingly sophisticated understanding of political violence and equip the study of terrorism with more robust analytical tools with which to create a number of potential channels to facilitate resolution of the deep underlying problems that cause terrorism. vi

Acknowledgements The writing of this book began with an initial interest in the study of terrorism and then inspired by deeper questions relating to how it is understood and ultimately why it occurs. The navigation points for these questions were provided by the study of the roots of conflict. So this book is a product or hybrid of conflict and terrorism studies. I would like to thank all at St Andrews University who helped me with this project, and in particular Oliver Richmond for his guidance, diligence and interest in my work. My thanks also to Vivienne Jabri and Magnus Ranstorp for their valuable comments and recommendations for the project. I would also like to express my appreciation to the Carnegie Trust and St Andrews University who generously provided the funding for my fieldwork. My gratitude also goes out to all those in the Palestinian Territories and Israel who took the time to speak to me during my research, some of whom have already become victims of the brutal conflict. In particular my thanks go to Gershon Baskin at IPCRI, Fathi Tobail and Sami Abu Salem at the Palestinian State Information Service, and Tahur and Najwa al Assar for their hospitality in Gaza. I am also grateful to Agnes Spink for meticulously proof reading this work. Finally, thanks to my family and friends for their support during this period. All errors are of course my own responsibility. vii

Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations ALF BCE CE DFLP ETA EOKA EU FARC Fateh FBI Fedayeen FLNC FLN Hamas ICT ICs IDF IJ IPCRI IRA JRA MNC MPLA NATO NGOs NIS PA PASSIA PDFLP PFLP PFLP-GC PIOOM Arab Liberation Front Before Common Era Common Era Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Basque Homeland and Liberty National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters European Union Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia Palestinian National Liberation Movement Federal Bureau of Investigations Irregular Arab Fighter National Front for the Liberation of Corsica National Liberation Front (Algeria) The Islamic Resistance Movement International Policy Institute for Counter Terrorism International Corporations Israeli Defence Force Islamic Jihad Israeli/Palestinian Centre for Research and Information Irish Republican Army Japanese Red Army Multi-National Corporations Marxist Party for the Liberation of Angola North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Non governmental organisations New Israeli Sheckle Palestinian Authority Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command The Interdisciplinary Research Programme on Causes of Human Rights Violations viii

Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations ix PIRA PNC PLA PLO PSC RAF RB RCs UN UNC UNEF UNLU UNRWA UNSC US WMDs Provisional Irish Republican Army Palestinian National Council Palestinian Liberation Army Palestinian Liberation Organisation Protracted Social Conflict Red Army Faction Red Brigade Regional Organisations United Nations Unified National Council United Nations Emergency Force Unified National Leadership of the Uprising United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees United Nations Security Council United States Weapons of Mass Destruction

Freeing the great human conflicts from the naïve interpretation of a battle between good and evil, and understanding them in the light of tragedy is an enormous feat of mind; it brings forward the unavoidable relativism of human truths. Milan Kundera