Quotations on Terrorism

About the Book

The year 2000 showed that terrorism continues to pose a clear and present danger to the international community. Terrorism is becoming a strategy that has a long history, but one that took on a particularly deadly caste beginning in the 21th century. The leaders of some of the most dangerous terrorist groups to emerge in the past decade have headquarters or major offices in Afghanistan, and their associates threaten stability in many real and potential trouble spots around the globe - from Indonesia to the Balkans, Central Asia to the Persian Gulf, Western China to Somalia, and Western Europe to South Asia.

Terrorists attempt not only to sow panic but also to undermine confidence in the government and political leadership of their target country. Terrorism is therefore designed to have psychological effects that reach far beyond its impact on the immediate victims or object of an attack. Terrorists mean to frighten and thereby intimidate a wider audience, such as a rival ethnic or religious group, an entire country and its political leadership, or the international community as a whole.

All terrorist acts involve violence or "equally important" the threat of violence. These violent acts are committed by nongovernmental groups or individuals that is, by those who are neither part of nor officially serving in the military forces, law enforcement agencies, intelligence services, or other governmental agencies of an established nation-state.

Terrorism has occurred throughout history for a variety of reasons. It causes can be historical, cultural, political, social, psychological, economic, or religious, or any combination of these. Some countries have proven to be particularly susceptible to terrorism at certain times, as Italy and West Germany were during the 1970s. Terrorist violence escalated precipitously in those two countries for a decade before declining equally dramatically. Other countries, such as Canada and The Netherlands, have proven to be more resistant, and have experienced only a few isolated terrorist incidents.

In general, democratic countries have provided more fertile ground for terrorism because of the open nature of their societies. In such societies citizens have fundamental rights, civil liberties are legally protected, and government control and constant surveillance of its citizens and their activities is absent. By the same token, repressive societies, in which the government closely monitors citizens and restricts their speech and movement, have often provided more difficult environments for terrorists. But even police states have not been immune to terrorism, despite limiting civil liberties and forbidding free speech and rights of assembly. Examples include Russia under tsarist rule and the Communist-ruled Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, as well as the People's Republic of China, Myanmar, and Laos.

The author expressed it all through quotations which was compiled from public figures, authors, poets, scholars, experts, professionals, statements, and the common people, and collected from books, newspapers, news-weeklies, poems, speeches, oral conversations, etc from all part of the world in connecting with the content of this book since 1980.

About the Author

Curriculum Vitae of Mr. Harry Kawilarang
(Author of book: "Quotations on Terrorism")

Harry Alexander Kawilarang was born on September 27th 1944, in Tondano, North Sulawesi. His career as journalist started as an active member of the Indonesia's Student Journalist Association (Ikatan Pers Mahasiswa Indonesia, IPMI), while at the same time studied at the Publicity Faculty of Prof. Moestopo University in 1965 in Jakarta. He was also an activist with the Student Movement during the "Silent Revolution" in 1966 in changing the Indonesian Old Order Regime. Harry went to Europe and studied on press-photography and journalism courses in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 1966. He continued his to study in Hamburg and Berlin the following year. During the student years in Europe, he was appointed by the Indonesian student paper, KAMI as correspondent in Europe in 1966-68.

After finishing study in Europe for two years, he started his career as photo-reporter with Utusan Malaysia newspaper, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1968 for one year. In widening his experience on journalism, he became a free-lance war-photographer and was working as a stringer to various media and news-agencies covering the Vietnam War (1969-70). After three years adventuring in Southeast-Asia, Harry returned to Indonesia in 1971, and start working as photo-journalist with Indonesia Raya daily (1971-1972), Sinar Harapan daily (1973-1980), Mutiara Biweekly (1980-1986), the TSM (Teknology Strategy & Militer) military monthly (1987-1993) and Suara Pembaruan (1991-2001).

Harry was more the less self-made, with full of initiatives in creating his identity not only as a photojournalist, but also as an active writer. Not only his pictures were eye-catching, but he has also a strong readership as a travel writer with his feature stories. His East-Timor story was among the well-known "scoop" stories in his career, when as the first journalist that enter Dili, two days after the dictatorship in Portugal was toppled through the "Flower Revolution" in Lisbon in late April 1974. Since that time, he has two jobs, in photo as well as writer, on travel, environment, social-economy, history, politics, general features, etc.

Harry became more active and well known as a writer specializing on international relation and military affairs since beginning 1980 and was appointed as foreign desk editor at Mutiara biweekly magazine. Because of his interest on military affairs, he was appointed as senior editor to the TSM (Teknologi Strategi & Militer), the first Indonesian military monthly magazine that was founded in 1987. Through this medium gave him the opportunity in widening this interest and was attending to many military institutes abroad, attending various international seminars and met prominent figures that are well-known on military affairs. As result of all the experiences, gave him the idea since 1980 collecting and compiling quotations, proverbs, wise sayings, and important military historical events. All of these sources he got it from reading books, newspapers, magazines, following speeches, and interviewing and oral conversations with many prominent figures from 120 countries he had ever visit.

Harry has retired as senior editor from Suara Pembaruan, the Indonesian daily since 2001, but his dedication as photo-reporter, photo-journalist, foreign correspondent to senior editor, had enriched his experience, and is now an active book writer on politics, military, international relations.

Table of Contents or Excerpts

Coping with Terrorism

To understand the character of terrorist threats, one must understand the interests and objectives of those carrying out such violent acts. Traditional use of political violence has been tied closely to governments, national liberation movements, or political ideologies with relatively narrow goals. Such acts are used to force negotiations, end negotiations, or intimidate or topple governments. Tom McConnell

Terrorist groups with broad "ideological" or religious interests are more dangerous than those with narrow political agendas. The traditional paradigm was of groups with specific political objectives focusing on killing small numbers of people in order to gain negotiating leverage. The new threat, by organizations such as bin Laden's al Qaeda, is broadly destructive violence in pursuit of a millennial goal. They seek maximum carnage in order to undermine political will. US National Commission on Terrorism

Eleven September Tragedy

The worst act of terrorism on US soil was committed on September 11, 2001, when bands of four to five terrorists took control of four airliners, United Airlines Flights 93 and 175 and American Airlines Flights 11 and 77. In describing the events, it is easy to fall back on familiar, journalistic terms and refer to attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon as if the buildings were the chief victims. The reality, of course is much different: Within the space of two hours, more than 5,000 men, women and children were terrorized, tortured, slashed with knives, burned to death, and crushed under tons of rubble in a premeditated act of mass murder. In addition, 4,000 or more children lost a parent that day in the terrorist attacks. Twin Towers Orphan Fund

Today, the US, joined by nations throughout the world, is engaged in a sustained effort to identify and destroy a global network of terrorists. With our abiding faith in human life and freedom, we will prevail over those who, cynically exploiting the fears of others, offer nothing but suffering and death. George W Bush

The events of September 11, (2001) brought home to us in tragic fashion the global reach of terrorists in today's world. The lesson is clear: To defeat terrorists, we must identify them, we must find them, and we must seize them wherever they are in the world doing their evil deeds or plotting new evil deeds. Colin Powell (October 10, 2001)

The Third World War began on Tuesday September 11 on the East Coast of the United States. L'Express -French magazine

Sectarian Conflict

Death comes to everyone. We must stand proud as Afghans in the defense of Islam. Mohammed Omar (radio address on Friday, September 14 2001)

The past few decades have witnessed the birth of dozens of aggressive movements espousing varieties of nationalism, religious fundamentalism, fascism, and apocalyptic millenarianism, from Hindu nationalists in India to neofascists in Europe and the developing world to the Branch Davidian cult of Waco, Texas. Bokhari

The call for a jihad was responded by a cakalele dance (traditional war dance). Hands and legs of the Hatuhara people of Haruku Island, South Maluku suddenly become stiff. They made growling sounds like a tiger ready to pounce. It was said that in their trance position, they are invulnerable to attack by any weapon. The specific war dance from the Central Maluku was an expression of their courage in facing enemy. Gatra - Indonesian weeky

Secret Society

Bad ideas flourish because they are in the interest of powerful groups. Paul Krugman

The invisible Money Power is working to control and enslave mankind. It financed Communism, Fascism, Marxism, Zionism, Socialism. All of these are directed to making the US a member of a World Government ... Unknown

We operate here under directives which emulate (sic) from White House ... The substance of the directives under which we operate is that we shall use our grant making power to alter life in the United States so that we can comfortably be merged with the Soviet Union. Rowan Gaither

Ike (Dwight Eisenhower) was President at the time. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is the American Branch of a society, which originated in