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Fighting Terrorism - An Enduring Task

NCJ Number
79968
Author(s)
B Jenkins
Date Published
1981
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This interview with an Italian news service covers numerous issues of interest to Europeans concerned with international terrorism. The international connections of Italian terrorists, the assembly of a European antiterrorism super police force, the differences between Italian terrorism and that of other countries, and the reasons behind the low level of terrorism in the United States are some of the concerns discussed.
Abstract
Italian terrorists appear to cooperate with other terrorist groups, particularly the Palestinians, and may have received training in the Middle East. However these connections may be unimportant given the parochial aims of Italian terrorists. There are many political and legal impediments to the organization of a European super police force, although police forces in Europe are cooperating to a greater degree than before. Italian terrorist groups probably differ in objectives, strategy, and method of operation from other terrorist groups, although all such groups use similar tactics, have similar organizational structures, and the like. The key to Italian terrorism can be found in Italian history, politics, and economic conditions. Terrorism in the United States has merely been less lethal than in Europe and not lacking in frequency because most terrorist acts in America have been directed against property, not people; because few spectacular acts have been achieved by terrorists; because the high level of violent crime vastly overshadows the threat of political violence; and because ethnic and ideological separatism has never emerged as a major issue in the United States. Societies must not resort to repression to combat terrorism but should instead rely on good intelligence, effective police work, and a functioning criminal justice system. Governments may also have to deal with the underlying social or economic causes of terrorism and to educate the public concerning the dangers of terrorism. Other comments concern the management of hostage-taking incidents and the role of the media during a terrorist incident. No references are cited.