The problem of terrorism has recently become one of the most concerning issues of the modern world. The news on terroristic organizations and acts can be seen on media which makes people anxious about their future. In fact, the term refers to one of the tactics of political struggle associated with the use of ideologically motivated violence (Townshend, 2018). Some terrorists want to achieve their goals by intimidating the authorities but, in most cases, ordinary people that have nothing to do with politics fell victim to terroristic attacks (Townshend, 2018).
For example, the Earth Liberation Front has tried to attract the attention of politicians to the problems of ecology and environment by using guerilla war and sabotage (Loadenthal, 2016). Other terrorists see their goal in killing people who do not correspond to their religious and ideological views (Townshend, 2018). The most notorious organization of this kind is Al-Qaeda; the word means “foundation” in Arabic (Roy, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the terrorist networks mentioned and decide which one poses a greater threat to the United States today.
The Earth Liberation Front in the USA refers to cells and activists who draw public attention to environmental problems by using aggressive methods. Although the movement is supported internationally, in the United States, it has developed into an independent and powerful organization and can be regarded as a domestic one (Brown, 2017). People who belong to the Earth Liberation Front, are also known as the Elves (Brown, 2017).
They see the purpose of the movement in restoring pristine ecosystems that were demolished by the unscrupulous and selfish actions of humans (Brown, 2017). In the Elves’ opinion, without all the innovations and devices that are employed by modern people, the world would be a better place. That is why the Elves struggle with the wide use of cars by throwing sharp metal fragments that can puncture tires on the roadway.
Further means used by the members of the Earth Liberation Front include setting fire to residential buildings and shops that sell chemicals, beating people who in their office cut down trees, and others. Researchers note that in 2001, the activity of the Earth Liberation Front was considered the greatest domestic terrorist threat for the United States (Loadenthal, 2016). One of the most notorious acts committed by the representatives of the eco-terrorist movement is the 2001 arson of the University of Washington (Brown, 2017).
An alarm clock connected to a battery and ignitor was placed in the office of professor Toby Bradshaw. Near the cabinet, the terrorists put gasoline tubes and set the timer of the bomb. As a result of the incident, serious damage was caused to the university building, and the professor’s office was destroyed completely; however, no person fell victim to the firebomb attack. The arson was stimulated with the suspicion of the Earth Liberation Front that Toby Bradshaw had been working on the development of genetically modified trees (Brown, 2017). Nevertheless, the desire to protect the environment might be seen as the primary motive of the terror act.
Speaking about Al-Qaeda, this organization is completely different from the Earth Liberation Front. The only similarity between the terror groups is that both of them disturb the peace, intimidate people, and use aggressive and cruel methods to achieve their goals. Unlike the Elves, who aim at protecting the environment, the members of Al-Qaeda, which is a powerful international network, see their goal in saving the Muslim values (Lister, 2016). For violent Islamists, it means doing harm to civilians and killing people who do not belong to their religion. The terrorists’ methods include setting buildings to fire, planting bombs, committing suicide attacks, carjacking, plane hijacking, and others.
The most serious incident caused by Al-Qaeda is a series of attacks conducted on September 11, 2001 (Roy, 2016). On that day, 9 Al-Qaeda militants hijacked four aircraft and changed the course towards targets in central New York and Washington (Roy, 2016). Two of the planes crashed the Twin Towers resulting in a fire inside the buildings, the third one destroyed a part of the Pentagon, and the fourth aircraft fell down in a field. Because of the attacks, 2,997 people were killed and serious damage was caused to the targets (Lister, 2016). As the reason for the terrorist act, the politics of the United States might be seen. However, the primary motive of the incident is the general concept of Islamic terrorists to kill the opponents of their beliefs.
In my opinion, nowadays, Al-Qaida is more dangerous to the American people than the Earth Liberation Front because this terrorist group does not approve of some actions of the United States in the international arena. The members of Al-Qaida have shared Osama bin Laden’s negative point of view on the USA’s support for Israel and the presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia (Roy, 2016). They accuse the United States of oppressing people and controlling the Arab countries (Roy, 2016). Hence, American people have grounds to feel anxious about the terrorist group and its possible actions towards the country.
To sum up, terrorism belongs to the most concerning issue of the modern world. Terrorists have different motives and ideologies, for example, the Earth Liberation Front, an organization representing eco-terrorism, tries to solve environmental problems by using violence. The members of Al-Qaida also take aggressive measures, but their purpose consists of fighting the opponents of their beliefs or those who they regard as such. The second terrorist group poses the greatest threat to the USA because it does not approve of the politics of the country.
References
Brown, J. (2017). Notes to the underground: Credit claiming and organizing in the Earth Liberation Front. Terrorism and Political Violence, 1-20.
Lister, C. (2016). The Syrian Jihad: Al-Qaeda, the Islamic state and the evolution of an insurgency. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Loadenthal, M. (2016). Activism, Terrorism, and Social Movements: The ‘Green Scare’as Monarchical Power. Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change, Narratives of Identity in Social Movements, Kent State University, 40, 189-226.
Roy, O. (2016). Al-Qaeda: a true global movement. In Rick Coolsaet (Ed.), Jihadi terrorism and the radicalisation challenge, 2nd ed. (pp. 33-40). London: Routledge.
Townshend, C. (2018). Terrorism: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.