Terrorist groups consist of captive participants and criminal mercenaries who carry out deadly missions. Terrorist groups rely on agency over their targets and attack on the basis of ideological reasons (Hausken, 2019). However, they are primarily controlled by the structure of the counterterrorism situation. Their operations have a hierarchy whereby orders to attack are given by those in charge of the terror group. This implies that the structures of terrorist groups are determined by the capacity and character of the government and society where they operate. Terrorists rely on these structures to acquire finances, communicate, and form networks for their criminal activities.
The most obvious motivation is that terrorism serves as a tactic and asymmetric warfare, which forces states and governments to agree to specific social and political demands. Another motive for these groups is to intimidate innocent civilians into capitulating to varied demands to avoid future conflict (Hausken, 2019). Under this motivation, terrorists seek to acquire state attention and political support for that cause. The issues of poverty and resources are also highlighted as a common motivation of terrorist groups. When individuals are deprived of different opportunities and resources, poverty generates bitterness and forces some to consider terrorism as a way to express their barbarity.
There is no precise measure of terrorist groups against humanity because terrorism results in death and destruction. However, there are certain qualities of these groups, which are established in contemporary society. For instance, terrorist groups entail hostility against non-combatants and that its culprit does not anticipate their actions to attain political or social goals. However, terrorist acts influence the target audience and interfere with their routine by causing pain and fear. Therefore, despite the structures and motivations of these groups, authorities are always keen to stop their deadly operations, particularly in the United States.
Reference
Hausken, K. (2019). The dynamics of terrorist organizations. Operations Research Perspective, 6(1). Web.