Terrorism What is terrorism? Few words have so insidiously worked their way into our everyday vocabulary.

Most people have a vague idea or impression of what terrorism is, but lack a more precise, concrete and truly explanatory definition of the word. Dictionary definitions are of little help. The pre-eminent authority on the English language, the muchvenerated Oxford English Dictionary, is disappointingly un-obliging when it comes to providing edification on this subject, its interpretation at once too literal and too historical to be of much contemporary use. But it defines it as: Terrorism: A system of terror. 1. Government by intimidation as directed and carried out by the party in power in France during the revolution of 1789-94; the system of `Terror'. 2. gen. A policy intended to strike with terror those against whom it is adopted; the employment of methods of intimidation; the fact of terrorizing or condition of being terrorized. U.S. Department of State (1998) definition of terrorism calls it a premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience. An act of violence that is generally regarded by one state as an act of terrorism may not be viewed so in another country as well as among various sectors of a countrys population. Although terrorists acts are criminal acts, their activities and motivations are much more complicated. A foreign extremist group labeled as terrorist by the Department of State may be regarded in heroic terms by some sectors of the population in another country. Likewise, an action that would be regarded as indisputably terrorist in the United States might not be regarded as a terrorist act in another countrys law courts. For example, Indias Supreme Court ruled in May 1999 that the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by a LTTE belt-bomb girl was not an act of terrorism because there was no evidence that the four co-conspirators (who received the death penalty) had any desire to strike terror in the country. Terrorism usually results from multiple causal factorsnot only psychological but also economic, political, religious, and sociological factors, among others. Because terrorism is a multi-causal phenomenon, it would be simplistic and erroneous to explain an act of terrorism by a single cause, such as the psychological need of the terrorist to perpetrate an act of violence to exert pressure on the government or a particular faction of the country. It is a psychological act conducted for its impact on an audience. Terrorism may be motivated by political, religious, or ideological objectives. In a sense, terrorist goals are always political, as extremists driven by religious or ideological beliefs usually seek political power to compel society to conform to their views. Terrorism, in the

most widely accepted contemporary usage of the term, is fundamentally and inherently political. It is also ineluctably about power: the pursuit of power, the acquisition of power, and the use of power to achieve political change. Terrorism is thus violence -- or, equally important, the threat of violence -- used and directed in pursuit of, or in service of, a political aim. With this vital point clearly illuminated, one can appreciate the significance of the additional definition of `terrorist' provided by the OED: `Any one who attempts to further his views by a system of coercive intimidation'. This definition underscores clearly the other fundamental characteristic of terrorism: that it is a planned, calculated, and indeed systematic act. Pressure Groups What are pressure groups? When people are asked to name a pressure group, certain groups such as Greenpeace, the Countryside Alliance, the Stop the War Coalition and Fathers4Justice usually come to mind. These are groups that tend to have a high public prole based on their success in grabbing the attention of the media. However, the pressure group universe also includes churches and charities, businesses and trade associations, trade unions and professional associations, think tanks of various complexions, and so forth. Although some pressure groups were set up for the specic purpose of inuencing government, many pressure groups exist for other purposes and only engage in politics as a secondary or associated activity. A pressure group can be described as an organised group that does not put up candidates for election, but usually seeks to influence government policy or legislation. They can also be described as interest groups, lobby groups or protest groups. Some people avoid using the term pressure group as it can inadvertently be interpreted as meaning the groups use actual pressure to achieve their aims, which does not necessarily happen. The aim of all pressure groups is to influence the people who actually have the power to make decisions. Pressure groups do not look for the power of political office for themselves, but do seek to influence the decisions made by those who do hold this political power. Often pressure groups find themselves competing with rival pressure groups with the aim of gaining an advantage over them, but sometimes groups work together to achieve a common aim. The conservative political philosopher Edmund Burke (172997) referred to these groups as the little platoons. Pressure groups can therefore act as a channel of communication between the people and government. However, their political role is often as fuzzy as their identity. Pressure groups provide a means of popular participation in national politics between elections. They are sometimes able to gather sufficient support to force government to amend or even scrap legislation. For example, in March 1998 around 300,000 people went to London to protest about the Labour governments rural policies -

the Countryside March - the government reacted by announcing plans for a Ministry of Rural Affairs and by publishing a white paper investigating all aspects of rural life. Pressure groups can use a variety of different methods to influence law. Firstly, it can merely inform legislators of its members preferences. Second it may well give money or time to help with an election campaign. Third, its members may threaten, as a group, to vote as a bloc. By doing this they promise to help a cooperative legislator, and threaten to harm a non-cooperative legislator. Fourth, a pressure group may speed up legislation by writing bills and helping legislators make progressive agreements. Finally, a pressure group my attempt to influence members of the executive, who have some law making input and who can partly decide the strength and effectiveness of law enforcement. A few types of pressure groups in Pakistan are: Military remains most important force that can exert pressure; ulema (clergy), landowners, industrialists, student unions and small merchants are also influential. Also, the growing influence of Talibans in the country is another example of a strong pressure group even though they dont fulfill the accepted criteria to be categorized as one. Sanctions and Embargoes Sanctions and embargoes are coercive measures such as not doing business with certain countries, governments or individuals used to compel these countries, governments or individuals to comply with international laws or other obligations. The U.S. Government has used economic sanctions and trade embargoes since its earliest days to further various foreign-policy, national-security and safety objectives. Sanctions, including economic sanctions, are put in place for a number of reasons. All recent UN and EU sanctions contain information as to why they have been imposed and specify what their aim is. Their principal purpose is usually to change the behaviour of the target countrys regimes, individuals or groups in a direction which will improve the situation in that country. The ultimate objective of a sanction varies according to the situation. For instance, an arms embargo and a ban on the export of certain items or raw materials could be aimed at supporting a peace process and restricting the financing of weapons by the combatants. Sanctions may also be aimed at preventing weapons from falling into the wrong hands, disrupting terrorist operations, or trying to change the policies and actions of the target.