Protection against Social Emergency Situations. Terrorism

Objective: to develop students' knowledge of terrorism and terrorist activity as a historical and political phenomenon.

1.Terrorism as an ideology of violence. The concept of «Terrorism».

Terrorism is an ideology of violence and a practice of influencing decision-making by state authorities, local self-government bodies or international organisations.

Terrorism is a complex socio-political and criminal phenomenon that represents a multifaceted threat to the vital interests of the individual, society and the state.

In world legal practice, this type of threat to life safety is regarded as an extremely dangerous crime.

The concepts of “terrorism” and “terrorist” appeared in France at the end of the 18th century. In 1881, members of the People's Will movement killed Tsar Alexander II with an improvised bomb.

In 1911, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, P.A. Stolypin, was killed by an agent of the secret police. Between 1902 and 1907, terrorists in Russia carried out around 5,500 terrorist acts. Their victims were civilians, and only a few were officials of the authorities.

In the USSR, before the escalation of ethnic conflicts, terrorism was a very rare occurrence. The only widely publicised case was the explosion in a Moscow metro carriage in January 1977, which claimed more than ten lives. At that time the situation in the country was different, and potential terrorists knew that they would not achieve their goals through such actions.

What is happening is shocking, yet here is the paradox: at the beginning of the third millennium, humanity has begun to grow accustomed to reports of further contract killings and shootouts in city streets.

2.Types of terrorism, the aims and methods of carrying out terrorist acts. Terrorist activity and its content.

Terrorism as a socio-legal phenomenon can be classified according to the following criteria:

1.By ideological basis and sphere of manifestation: political; state; religious; nationalist; ordinary criminal terrorism for gain; criminal terrorism.

Political terrorism opposes the political system of the state as a whole, or political figures.

Two types of such terrorism are known. Left-wing terrorism, which arises as a result of social conflict, when the economic situation of the state and the population sharply deteriorates. Right-wing terrorism expresses the desire of some part of society to establish a reactionary totalitarian regime. As a rule, it is imbued with a spirit of chauvinism, racism, nazism and anti-communism. Class terrorism is a variety of political terrorism. However, its target is not politicians or public figures, but representatives of a particular class (social group).

Religious terrorism manifests itself in intolerance and violence, including armed violence, between representatives of different religious views.
Criminal terrorism is carried out by criminal elements or criminal groups with the aim of achieving certain concessions.

Nationalist terrorism is based on inciting inter-ethnic conflicts. The aim of such terrorism may also be the defence of territorial integrity or the preservation of one's own ethnic group.

State terrorism is expressed in the policy pursued by political figures and parties in power in a country towards their own or foreign citizens. Examples of state terror include the activities of the fascist regimes in Germany and Italy, and the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia

2. By scale – domestic and international.

International terrorism, as a rule, is carried out on the territory of several countries. It can be directed not only against citizens and various organisations, but also against states as a whole. A striking example of such terrorism is the destruction of the World Trade Center buildings in the USA (2001), the explosion in the Moscow metro (2004), and the explosions in Spain (2004).

3. By the quantity of forces and means employed: individual, group, mass.

Individual terrorism is violence carried out by one person against others. It can also be characterised as a personal rebellion against society.

Group terrorism is organised and carried out by a group of people who pursue certain goals and have an organisational structure. This type of terrorism is the most widespread and common.

4. By aims and objectives: mercenary terrorism (the aim of which is extortion or fulfilment of certain demands by the terrorists); apocalyptic terrorism (inflicting maximum damage at any cost).

5. By the type of means used, terrorism is classified as: conventional, nuclear, chemical, biological, electromagnetic, cybernetic, information, and economic.

Terrorism for gain aims at unlawfully obtaining financial resources by taking hostages. Sometimes terrorists put forward political demands alongside financial ones.

Untargeted (psychological) terrorism is usually unmotivated. In this case, psychological aggression is practically the sole reason for committing the terrorist act and is demonstrative in nature.

According to the general opinion of legal scholars, terrorism in any of its forms is the most socially dangerous of all crimes described in criminal legislation (the sanctions of articles providing for criminal liability for terrorism-related crimes should carry the most severe punishment of all types of punishment provided for by criminal law).

Three sides to the conflict of a terrorist act:

• -Those who carry out the terrorist act (the terrorists);
• -The direct victims of the act;
• -Those whom they want to intimidate and force to behave in a certain way.

Terrorist activity includes the following actions:

• -The organisation, planning, preparation and carrying out of a terrorist act.
• - Incitement to a terrorist act, to violence against individuals or organisations, or to the destruction of material objects for terrorist purposes.
• - The organisation of an illegal armed formation, a criminal community (criminal organisation), or an organised group to carry out a terrorist act, as well as participation in such an act.
• - The recruitment, arming, training and use of terrorists;
• -The financing of a known terrorist organisation or terrorist group, or other assistance to them.

3.Trends in modern terrorism.

• -an increase in the number of terrorist acts and the persons affected by them;
• - an expansion of the geography of terrorism;
• - the creation of large terrorist formations with developed infrastructure;
• - a strengthening of the interrelation between terrorism and organised crime;
• - an increase in the level of financing of terrorist activity;
• - a drive to obtain weapons of mass destruction;

The targeted direction of modern terrorism:

• - pressure and influence on legitimate authorities (the actual subordination of their activity to the interests of certain persons and groups);
• - the aggravation of international, interstate, and interracial relations;
• - the physical elimination of political and economic opponents;
• - the destabilisation of the activity of security agencies;
• - instilling fear and intimidating the population;
• - any acts of revenge and settling of scores;
• - other purposes;

Possible targets of a terrorist act:

• nuclear power plants;
• dams of hydroelectric complexes (HPPs);
• transport hubs (air, rail, road);
• trunk pipelines;
• military depots, bases, arsenals;
• high-hazard facilities;
• administrative buildings of government, hotels, etc.

Terrorism represents the most dangerous method of political destabilisation of society. Such methods of destabilisation as military intervention, uprising, unleashing a civil war, mass unrest, general strikes and others require considerable resources and presuppose broad mass support from the forces interested in destabilisation. To launch a campaign of terrorist acts, it is enough to have the support of the terrorists' cause from a relatively narrow stratum of society, a small group of radicals prepared to go to any extreme, and modest organisational and technical resources. Terrorism undermines authority and destroys the political system of the state. Legal scholars classify terrorist actions as belonging to the category of «crimes against the foundations of the constitutional order and the security of the state».

4.Rules of conduct when a suspicious explosive object is discovered.

To our deep regret, today explosions in residential buildings, various institutions, cars and other vehicles, and at mass events have become part of our lives. Terrorists are increasingly using explosions as acts of intimidation.

Signs of a terrorist act being prepared:

1. an ownerless bag, briefcase, box, parcel or package;
2. remnants of insulating tape, wires, cords and other objects atypical for the location;
3. a taut wire or cord near the entrance to an educational institution, in a basement or other places;
4. disturbance of the turf (soil) layer near an educational institution;
5. the ticking of a clockwork mechanism in objects where a clock should not be, or in an abandoned ownerless bag;
6. the presence of radio receiving devices or antennas on objects where they are clearly out of place.

the website of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, which you should contact immediately, or else report to the police.

In order to prevent explosions in residential buildings, you should:

• - fit sturdy doors in attics and basements, hang locks on them, install intercoms, and check all vacant premises in the building;
• - inspect and, where possible, remove cars parked in the courtyard of the building;
• - get to know the tenants renting flats in your building, and report any suspicious individuals to the local police officer;
• - pay attention to unfamiliar people, and approach them with questions;
• - be wary of parcels and letters on which your surname is spelled incorrectly, which have no return address or an unknown return address, parcels with a shifted centre of gravity, and letters in unusually thick (more than 3 mm) envelopes that are heavy and feel rubbery when bent;

If an explosion has nevertheless occurred and your flat has remained intact, you must move away from the window immediately, since window slabs are less sturdy than wall panels, and dangerous debris may fall or fly into the flat from above. Those who end up under the rubble of a collapsed building and remain practically unharmed should wait for help. Specialists believe that the chances of surviving under the rubble of a bombed building are greater than under a building that has collapsed during an earthquake, if only because all the forces of the rescuers and all the equipment will be thrown into the effort, which is impossible during an earthquake because of the scale of the destruction.

To prevent explosions in the street:

• - during periods of social tension, avoid visiting places where people gather (markets, stadiums, railway stations, entertainment events);
• - do not approach suspicious objects left in crowded places; report them to the police or the FSB immediately;
• - do not pick up, and teach children not to pick up, small items found on the street – whistles, pens, cigarette cases, toys and so on, since terrorists very often hide bombs inside them;
• - under no circumstances defuse explosive devices yourself or move them to another location.

If there is a clear threat of an explosion, take the safest possible position – take cover behind a wall, a column, and so on. If the explosion has already occurred, avoid, where possible, places where a crush may form. And one more point. Specialists believe that the most hopeless explosions in terms of prevention are carried out by suicide bombers, but even they can be identified. The key here is the person's behaviour. Experience shows that a person cannot remain calmly composed while aware of their own imminent death. They will become nervous, fidgety, look around, or, on the contrary, appear unnaturally calm. All of this stands out. If you notice something unusual in a person's behaviour, report it to a police officer so that their identity can be established.

5. Actions when taken hostage. Rules of conduct for hostages:

• - stay where you are, trying not to draw attention to yourself; it is better to keep yourself occupied with something;
• - get a grip on yourself as quickly as possible, do not panic, and find out (understand) what the terrorists want;
• -do not argue with the terrorists, ask questions, or look them in the eye; answer questions calmly and briefly; keep control over answers that might later harm you or other people; endure insults and humiliation;
• - it is recommended to carry out all their demands and not create conflict situations;
• - if you need to use the toilet, open a bag, etc., ask for permission;
• -to keep up your strength, eat everything you are offered, even if you do not like the food, while maintaining personal hygiene and cleanliness as far as possible;
• -be prepared for the terrorists to use blindfolds, gags, handcuffs or ropes on you; under no circumstances resist;
• - if you have health problems, make sure you have the necessary medicines with you and report your health problems and any regular medication;
• -if you have had contact with a terrorist, explain to them that you too are a human being, that you too have a family, a father, a mother, brothers, sisters, etc. – sometimes this reduces the risk of being killed;
• - when asking for children, women or elderly people to be released, do not be pushy or excessively insistent;
• - try to remember how many terrorists there are and who is in charge …
• -if the demands of the police officer and the terrorist are diametrically opposed, do what the police officer tells you;
• -if it occurs to you that the terrorist is bluffing and is holding a dummy weapon, do not try to verify this;
• - believe that you will be rescued.

During the conduct of an operation to neutralise the terrorists:

• - when the assault group storms in, lie on the floor and remain in that position until the operation is over;
• -if an explosion occurs nearby, do not rush to leave the premises, as you may be mistaken for a terrorist.
• - if tear gas is used, do not rub your eyes; breathe through a wet cloth, and blink quickly and often to induce tears;
• - leave the site only after the appropriate command from the rescuers;
• - in the street, follow the commands of the assault group members; do not run, so as not to be killed in an exchange of fire.

Of course, it is practically impossible to give recommendations on how to behave in every situation connected with manifestations of terrorism. The most important thing is not to lose self-control, not to panic, and to act appropriately to the situation.

6. Characteristics of contemporary terrorism. Prevention.

Knowledge of the essential characteristics and classification of these social anomalies serves as the theoretical and methodological basis for analysing the possibility of their emergence.

Analysis of the problems of terrorism involves not only identifying its origins and the factors behind its emergence and development, but also forecasting the socio-political consequences of this phenomenon and its influence on the stability of society.

The proposed analysis of the consequences of social cataclysms can provide only an approximate forecast of potential dangers and threats which, under certain conditions, could become reality if our state, society, and the specific people responsible for security prove unable to withstand them.

Preventive work is important for localising possible emergency situations of a social nature, as is counteraction against criminal and extremist elements by law-enforcement agencies and reliable maintenance of the state's defence capability as a guarantee against external threats.

The current international situation offers no comforting forecasts as to whether the world community will manage to avoid violence in the new millennium. Violence and the threat of its use will remain relevant for a long time to come. At present, terrorism in its various forms has become, in essence, a commonplace phenomenon even in countries that were previously regarded as models of stability and civil accord. In the opinion of Western experts, the current efforts of the international community are not capable of putting an end to terrorism, still less of eliminating its causes. The fight against it is complicated, among other things, by the globalisation of information, energy and financial systems. It is therefore one of the global problems facing humanity.

The sharp upsurge in terrorism observed in the world, for all its unexpectedness, is not something exceptional. Its socio-political roots and the methods of combating it should be sought in line with worldwide practice and the historical experience of our state. A programme for combating terrorism must include a system of legal, administrative and special measures. At the same time, the efforts of the whole of society and of every citizen are needed.

Knowledge of the features of this dangerous social phenomenon and of the ways of combating it is an important factor in survival in the modern world.

Life — a great gift! Life must be fought for! Life must be valued! If we do not know how to behave in dangerous situations, our chances of survival are reduced.

Knowledge check

Answer the questions:

1. What is the cause of the emergence of social threats and dangers?

2. What determines the characteristics of contemporary terrorism?

3. Describe the main interpretations of the essence of terrorism.

4. What needs to be done to prevent explosions in the street?

5. How should you behave if terrorists seize a facility?

6. Name the main rules of conduct during an operation to neutralise terrorists.

7. What main objectives currently define the criminal actions of terrorists?