The Illustrated Guide to Terrorism
Chapter 1: What Is Terrorism?
Page 4: Extortion
NARRATOR
…but WHY.
Terrorism is not a crime of passion. Neither is it simply an expression of hatred.
NOT TERRORISM => Reenactment of scene from The Blues Brothers with the Illinois Nazis marching on the bridge.
PASSENGER
What’s the hold-up?
BYSTANDER
Looks like a protest on the bridge.
DRIVER
Ugh, who?
BYSTANDER
Our local Nazis.
DRIVER (pulling around traffic)
Fuckin’ Nazis.
DRIVER (plowing through Nazis)
I HATE fuckin’ Nazis!
TERRORISM = Van plowing through tourists
LEADER
Ready? Remember… Just like we planned.
Now! Floor it!
DRIVER (plowing through tourists)
For the cause!
Group of studious-looking people with laptops and a large tabletop map.
PLOTTER #1
Terrorists plan.
PLOTTER #2
Our violence is calculated.
PLOTTER #3
We don’t kill out of passion… we do it on PURPOSE.
NARRATOR
And that purpose is not revenge, and not to express hatred.
The ultimate purpose is always EXTORTION
Man pointing handgun at reader
NARRATOR
Extortion is terrorism’s essential defining trait.
Its purpose is to literally TERRIFY you, to INTIMIDATE you into making concessions.
With violence, the terrorist is saying:
GUNMAN
Do it my way, or ELSE!
SOLDIER (unimpressed)
Or else what… you’ll hurt me?
TERRORIST (holding gun to hostage child)
No. Do it my way or I’ll hurt HER.
Bomb demolishing ancient giant sculpture in jungle
NARRATOR
For their threat to be effective, terrorists must be careful to choose the right victim.
The idea is to select targets that are important — NOT to the terrorists’ cause, but to their intended AUDIENCE.
TERRORIST IN JUNGLE
Oh, that statue was culturally important to your people? GOOD! Now that I have your attention…
Man blowing up a strip mall supermarket by remote control
NARRATOR
That doesn’t mean a target can’t be purposely chosen to APPEAR random.
BOMBER
Maybe I’m going for maximum shock value, to attract as much attention as I can!
Or maybe I want your citizens to fear they’re not safe from me anywhere, so they’ll give in to you to just give in, already!
Or both
NARRATOR
Just as not all violence is terrorism, not all EXTORTION is terrorism, either.
The difference is in the KIND of change the terrorist demands: