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THE HIDDEN FACE OF TERRORISM THE HIDDEN FACE TERRORISM Terrorism does not emerge by accident but is usually sponsored by the state to serve the demands of a powerful elite, as can be seen in the creation of Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'ida. The following is an edited extract from The Hidden Face of Terrorism: The Dark Side of Social Engineering, From Antiquity to September 11, by Paul David Collins. n our modern world, discomforting truths are usually discarded in favour of fictions. One such fiction is the idea that terrorists are disenfranchised dissidents who indepen- dently generate the wealth and resources necessary for their heinous acts. Such is the contention of Professor Mark Juergensmeyer. In his article, "Understanding the New Terrorism", he says that modern terrorism "appears pointless since it does not lead directly to any strategic goal" (p. 158). Juergensmeyer arrives at this conclusion because he restricts his examination to the visible perpetrators, whose motives may be, in fact, irrational. However, he does not examine the patrons of terrorism. Given the exceptional subtlety and discretion of terrorism's shadowy sponsors, Professor Juergensmeyer may just be oblivious to their existence. On the other hand, he could simply be parroting his fellow academicians in order to maintain the status quo. Whatever the case may be, this contention seems to be the overall view held by the ortho- doxy of academia. With such a view vigorously promulgated by the arbiters of the dominant national paradigm, few can recognise those shady individuals who stand to profit from ter- rorist acts. To understand terrorism, one must discard the view that arbitrarily characterises it as "a resort to violence or a threat of violence on the part of a group seeking to accomplish a pur- pose against the opposition of constituted authority" (Adler, Mueller & Laufer, p. 309). Such an impotent notion is predicated upon the hopelessly flawed accidentalist perspective of his- tory. It relegates terrorism, which is the product of conscious effort and design, to the realm of circumstantial spontaneity. In other words, a contrived act suddenly becomes an inexplic- able social phenomenon. In November 1989, Father Ignacio Martin-Bar6, a social psychologist, delivered a speech in California on "The Psychological Consequences of Political Terror". In his speech, Martin-Baré gave a much more precise definition of terrorism, one that is ignored only at great peril. Noam Chomsky provides a synopsis of this speech (p. 386): He [Martin-Bar6] stressed several relevant points. First, the most significant form of ter - rorism, by a large measure, is state terrorism—that is, "terrorizing the whole population through systematic actions carried out by the forces of the state". Second, such terrorism is an essential part of a "government-imposed sociopolitical project" designed for the needs of the privileged. Disturbing though it may be, Martin-Bar6's definition is one validated by history. The majority of terrorism throughout history has found its sponsors in the hallowed halls of offi- cialdom, in the entity known as government. Terrorism is surrogate warfare, a manufactured crisis designed to induce social change. Its combatants consciously or unconsciously wage the war on behalf of higher powers with higher agendas. Whether its adherents are aware of it or not, terrorism always serves the ambitions of another. In his article, "Fake Terror: The Road to Dictatorship", Michael Rivero states that "It's the oldest trick in the book, dating back to Roman times: creating the enemies you need" (p. 1). The strategy is quite simple: individuals create a crisis so that they can then introduce their desired solution. Are there recent, modern examples of state-sponsored terrorism? Unfortunately, the answer to that question seems to be "Yes". by Paul David Collins © 2002 11 Fair Avenue Medway, Ohio 45341 USA Telephone: +1 (937) 849 4514 Email: thefaceunveiled@excite.com APRIL —- MAY 2003 NEXUS = 11 www.nexusmagazine.com