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Violent Ideologies
Terrorism From the Left and Right
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From the Left Fringe to the Right Fringe
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Fringe-left: Extreme, often violent, interpretation of
Marxist or other leftist ideologies.
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Far-left: Radical interpretations of Marxist or other leftist
ideologies that are usually non-violent.
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Liberalism: Policy agenda promoting people’s rights.
Expectation of positive government role.
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Moderate center: Usually largest segment in democracies.

From the Left Fringe to the Right Fringe
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Moderate center: Usually largest segment in democracies.
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Conservatism: Traditional distrust of change or
government intervention.
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Far-right: Strong adherence to social order and tradition.
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Fringe-right: Uncompromising, often violent, belief in
ethnonationalist or religious superiority.
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Ideologies and Ideals
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Ideologies: Systems of belief.
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Anarchism: Minimal central governmental control.
 Propaganda by the deed.
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Marxism: Class warfare leading to a communist
dictatorship of the proletariat.
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Fascism: Strong antidemocratic, anti-Communist belief in
law and order.
 Often ethnocentric and militaristic.
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Class Struggle
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Orthodox Marxism.
Relationship to the “means of production.”
Goal: Dictatorship of the proletariat.
Leftist Nationalism
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Selective application of Marxist theory.
Rooted in Cold War rivalries.
Wars of national liberation.
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Special-Interest Extremism
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Single-issue terrorism.
Cases: Environmentalism. Peace movements.
Problems on the Radical Left
Marxist revolutions occurred in the developing world.
 Infighting about the revolutionary party.
 Soviet versus developing world Communism.
 Working classes in the West never acquired a
revolutionary consciousness.
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Case: Latin America
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Colombia
 FARC
 National Liberation Army
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Peru
 Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso)
 Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA)
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Argentina
 Montoneros
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Case: Europe
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Italy
 The Red Brigade
 Years of Lead
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Germany
 Red Army Faction
 June 2nd Movement
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Northern Ireland
 Provisional Irish Republican Army
 Irish National Liberation Army
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Political Parties and Dissident Movements
Reflect the distinctive features of national environments.
 Neofascist political parties in Europe and Latin America.
 Unorganized or partly organized dissident movements.
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Tradition and Order
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Defenders of a supreme principle such as a “new order.”
Scapegoating enemy groups.
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Right-Wing Nationalism
Notion of a superior national group or race.
 Loyalty to the superior group.
 Subordination of inferior groups.
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Religion and Mysticism
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Not universal traits on the reactionary right.
Common in America.
Less common in Europe or Latin America.
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Case: Europe
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Germany
 Usually street-level confrontations.
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Italy
 Random attacks by small fascist-leaning groups.
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Turkey
 Grey Wolves.
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Northern Ireland
 Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
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The “New Terrorism”
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The Terrorist Left in the New Era
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Difficult to classify as “left” or “right” terrorism.
Defeat of the urban guerrillas.
A few remaining “rebels in the hills.”
Some grass-roots neo-anarchist activism.
The Terrorist Right in the New Era
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Continued scapegoating.
Rightist ractions to unpopular agendas.