Terrorism is often confused or equated with, or treated as synonymous with, guerrilla warfare. The main difference would be that guerrillas aim their attacks towards military personnel while terrorists direct theirs towards anyone, including civilians. Terrorist tactics, such as hijackings and suicide bombings, are also considered to be asymmetrical, both because they tend to involve a smaller, weaker group attacking a stronger one and also because attacks on civilians are by definition oneway warfare. People, with low social status, display aggressive behaviour patterns and violent acts to earn respect, attract attention and realise themselves. Terrorist target civilians guerrilla target militarygov. When we compare institutional, ideational, and individual explanations for violence, we generally find that.
The authors of a recent book dealing with the widely. This leads to a difference of opinion regarding cooperation between guerrilla and regular forces. Mainly because those car bombs dont target military targets or personnel. European style warfare is when the army stands in one big line with row after row of soldier.
Guerrillaism combines the essence of guerrilla warfare and terrorism because it involves both quick grassroots violent attacks and a broader and coercive political and military agenda. Conflating terrorism and insurgency cato institute. The interplay between terrorism, insurgency, and civil war in the. In essence, guerrilla warfare is not symbolic but rather devoted to a certain aim by contrast to terrorism where violence is a tool and symbol.
Terrorism and guerrilla warfare often serve as alternative designations of the same phenomenon. As nouns the difference between warfare and terrorism is that warfare is the waging of war or armed conflict against an enemy while terrorism is the deliberate commission of an act of violence to create an emotional response through the suffering of the victims in the furtherance of a political or social agenda. Terrorism is aimed toward civilian targets and guerrilla warfare s prime concentration is militarytype objectives. For example, mao zedong summarized basic guerrilla tactics at the. Guerrilla warfare is unconventional and asymmetrical. Yet they all have profound similarities, which accounts for this common usage. Conflict and its application for the future 68 to revolution and the current world structure. Difference between terrorists and common criminals the distinction between a criminal act and a terrorist act can often be found in the motivation of the actions. The reasons for the lack of detailed attention are obvious. Guerrilla warfare or asymmetric warfare is a tactic as old as time. The differences between the guerrilla warfare and terrorism.
According to this definition, terrorism is premeditated, politically motivated violence. The difference between counter terrorism and counterinsurgency is simple. Ultimately, the difference between insurgency and terrorism comes down to the intent of the actor. There is much similarity between terrorism and insurgency for people to equate the two concepts. Assignment guidelines searching the internet, research the 1996 terrorist attack against the khobar towers in saudi arabia. The title asymmetric warfare given to terrorism and guerilla warfare enables a scientific study of the phenomenon of terrorism, which has gripped the world since september 11, 2001. When did guerrilla warfare become truly revolutionary. Jul 15, 2004 from south carolina to south vietnam, americas two hundredyear involvement in guerrilla warfare has been extensive and varied.
Like the tactics of terrorism, guerrilla warfare is described as a weapon of the. A key difference is that an insurgency is a movement a political effort with a specific aim. His many books include the birth of america and understanding iraq. The main difference between terrorism and guerrilla warfare is that guerrilla warfare targets state actors. Organized guerrilla warfare and its theoretic foundations are relatively young.
Guerrilla warfare, type of warfare fought by irregulars in fastmoving. Are illegitimate acts against an enemy in war terrorism, war crimes, or is there even a. The use of the diminutive evokes the differences in number, scale, and scope. What is the difference between terrorism and guerrilla warfare. Guerrilla warfare only occurs in urban areas where there is a previously established violent conflict whereas terrorism can occur anywhere. This is typically a war between a standing, professional army and an insurgency or resistance movement militias who often have status of unlawful combatants.
The term terrorism, however, has a far more negative connotation, seemingly requiring one to take a stand, whereas the term guerrilla warfare is perceived as neutral and carries a more positive connotation. Guerrilla warfare an overview sciencedirect topics. Depending upon the ideology that the terrorist wants to advance, regime change may be a critical component of that effort. Nevertheless, both terrorist groups and guerrilla forces engage in continuous warfare that characterizes their operations as a form of insurgency. In this assignment, you will examine the difference between terrorism and guerrilla warfare from a historical standpoint. Sep 09, 2008 however their tactics also include using car bombs, and suicide bombing. How to define terrorism sinai perspectives on terrorism. By revolting against the repressive regimes of the british monarchies, insurgent action led to harsh repercussions against the colonists, leading to the declaration of independence and the revolutionary war. The best books on terrorism recommended by mary habeck. Terrorism is used to focus international attention on the guerrilla cause, kill opposition leaders, extort money from targets, intimidate the general population, create economic losses, and keep followers and potential defectors in line. Distinguishing terrorism from guerrilla warfare the ornery. Mar 28, 20 pre20 th century thought concerning guerrilla warfare was considerably diverse. Another difference is the intent of the component activities and operations of insurgencies versus terrorism. They are also similar in that terrorists, guerrillas, insurgents typically dont wear any uniform or.
Strategy and tactics of guerrilla warfare wikipedia. The difference between guerrilla war and terrorism is fairly straightforward in theory, but more difficult to discern in practice. This is typically a war between a standing, professional army and an insurgency or resistance movement militias who often have status of unlawful combatants asymmetric warfare can describe a conflict in which the. What is the relationship between religion and terrorism.
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hitandrun tactics, and mobility, to fight a larger and lessmobile traditional military. It sets out the different kinds of terrorism and guerrilla warfare and discusses in detail the various types of weapons and techniques. Guerrillas compose of a certain number of militant groups, acting as a military unit and thus take the name of paramilitary forces or combatants. The use of guerrilla warfare was first suggested in the 6th century bc by chinese general and strategist sun tzu, in his classic book, the art of war.
Many insurgencies rely not only on guerrilla tactics but also on clandestine, smallscale, armed. The differences of domestic terrorism and international. The distinction between terrorism and guerrilla warfare is of crucial importance because it helps to better understand the nature of armed resistance. It should be pointed out that on the understanding and clear definitions of terrorism and guerrilla warfare depends the quality of an academic research. Whats the difference between the guerrilla warfare. In the american revolution the colonial forces often had to resort to guerrilla tactics, which were successful because they overextended the british military forces trying to fight them. In this paper, i will try to analyze the key elements of terrorism and guerrilla warfare.
Unconventional warfare pocket guide the purpose of this document is to provide a pocket reference of unconventional warfare uw doctrine, concepts, academic inquiry, and suggested supplementary reading for military leaders and planners. What is the difference between guerrilla and traditional warfare. What is the difference between counterinsurgency and. Guerrilla warfare, violence, prisons, concentration camps. Terrorism while they both employ many of the same tactics and weapons, there are important differences between guerrilla fighters and terrorists. List of books and articles about guerrilla warfare online. Guerrilla groups are a type of violent nonstate actor. Insurgency movements and guerilla forces can adhere to international norms regarding the law of war in achieving their goals, but terrorists are by definition conducting.
Guerrilla war is like other war it involves military personnel fighting against other military personnel. So all of them use the same tactics and many of them use the same weapons. The key difference between terrorism and guerrilla warfare is whether you are attacking civilian or military targets. Terrorism is not warfare, it is violence against civilians in the pursuit of political aims. Defining terrorism is one mans terrorist another mans. What is the difference between counterinsurgency and counter. What is the difference between guerrilla style warfare and. It is very difficult to define both guerrilla warfare and terrorism.
Most importantly, terrorists rarely attack defended military targets. Conventional warfare is your standard two armies shoot at each other. Lawrence, on guerrilla warfare by mao zedong, out of the mountains. Guerrilla warfare, also known as unconventional, irregular, or asymmetric warfare, has. And this is because in many respects terrorism is used interchangeably with other popular terms, such as guerrilla warfare or insurgency. Mao clearly sees regular forces as a vital part of the campaign, declaring that an attempt to use only irregular forces to win a war, exaggerates the importance of guerrilla hostilities tsetung, 1961, p.
The troubles between england and ireland are centuries old. Terrorism is as different from guerrilla warfare as it is from any other form of warfare. Are illegitimate acts against an enemy in war terrorism, war crimes, or is there a difference. America and guerrilla warfare analyzes conflicts in which americans have participated in the role of, on the side of, or in opposition to guerrilla forces, providing a broad comparative and historical perspective on these types of engagements. Terrorism and asymmetrical warfare international and. In the guerrilla struggle, military personnel and facilities are targeted in line with political goals, but in case of terrorist actions. It is hard, we are then told, to know exactly where the line exists between terrorists and the brave wouldbe liberators of oppressed people. Asymmetric warfare or asymmetric engagement is war between belligerents whose relative military power differs significantly, or whose strategy or tactics differ significantly. Insurgency, counterinsurgency and guerrilla warfare 64 books. The canadian oxford dictionary defines a guerrilla fighter as a person taking part in an irregular war waged by small bands operating independently, often against a stronger, more organized force, with surprise attacks, whereas terrorism is the systematic employment of violence and intimidation to coerce a government or community. Guerrilla warfare, occurring between lightly armed partisans and a conventional army, is an example of asymmetrical warfare. Two solutions have been offered to remedy the problem of counting as terrorism either attacks against noncombatant or combatant targets which would characterize them as guerrilla forces. Tactics that have been successfully employed by small guerrillafighting forces for. The professor of strategic studies at johns hopkins university picks five books you must read to understand the war on terror, starting with one that tries to define what terrorism is.
Difference between terrorism and insurgency compare the. On the one hand, a possible connection between them has to be investigated, and, on the. What is the similarities between insurgency and guerrilla. This article attempts to highlight the differences between terrorism and insurgency. Secular terrorism wants to completely replace the normative or value structure of a society, while sacred terrorism wants to modify the power structure of a society. Guerrilla warfare is one army shoots at you the other army shoots n scoots. Guerrilla warfare uses surprise attacks from hidden positions, often with only a few skilled soldiers. He seeks answers to such questions as the genesis and context of an insurgency and what factors are common to many conflicts. The conduct of civil wars is therefore, by definition, marked by. Published in 1961 following the cuban revolution, it became a reference for thousands of guerrilla fighters in various countries around the world. Mar 10, 2004 turning back to mao zedong, one may see a major difference between what may be referred to as guerrillaism, and textbook terrorism or guerrilla warfare. All bona fide liberation movements are invariably described as terrorists. Difference between terrorism and guerrilla warfare.
In his book harrys game, gerald seymour wrote the famous phrase one mans terrorists is another mans freedom fighter. Physical disengagement from terrorism is slightly different in that while there is. The difference between guerrilla warfare and terrorism. Terrorism is typically performed by organized groups whereas guerilla warfare is carried out by individuals with piracy and assassinations. This sets it apart from both guerilla warfare and terrorism, as they are both methods available to pursue the goals of the political movement. Terrorists, because of their small number, because of the fact that theyre mostly hiding from the authorities, that theyre weak, they dont control territory, they dont exercise any sovereignty, cant do any of the things, for instance, that insurgents can do. All bona fide liberation movements are invariably described as terrorists 2. The first row fires and then ducks down to reload while the row behind them fires and so on. How does conventional warfare differ from terrorism. A criminal act is done for profit, with the perpetrator seeking some sort of personal goal, while a terrorist act has the goal of change through fear or intimidation. Dec 21, 2010 the difference between counter terrorism and counterinsurgency is simple. My research has led me to disagree with this quote and i think there are several factors that determine if someone is a terrorist or.
This is not entirely surprising, since guerrillas often employ the same tactics assassination, kidnapping, bombings of public gatheringplaces, hostagetaking, etc. A history of insurgency, terrorism, and guerrilla war, from the. Guerrilla warfare lets turn to the last reason why its so difficult to define terrorism. Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit and run tactics, and mobility, to fight a larger and lessmobile traditional military. The term terrorism is used interchangeably with other terms, like guerrilla warfare and. While the word guerrilla has been very popular, much less attention has been given to guerrilla warfare than to terrorism even though the former has been politically more successful. A history of insurgency, terrorism, and guerrilla war.
The best books on terrorism a five books interview with. I will not give a historical overview, but my aim will be to reach a theoretical description that includes the crucial features of the two treated forms of violence. Guerrilla warfare small war surprise is the essential feature of guerrilla war. In fact, thanks to boots delightful league table, counterinsurgents win around 23 of the time. Terrorism and guerrilla warfare are increasingly common in many countries of the world. There is another related term called insurgency that is troubling many nations of the world. Guerrilla warfare is a sustained fight using unconventional tactics a lot of hit and run style stuff, with abductions. The term terrorism is used interchangeably with other terms, like guerrilla warfare and also insurgency. Difference between terrorism and guerrilla warfare from a.
Terrorism is a criminal act and guerrilla warfare is a tactic used in war. Terrorism, insurrection, and guerrilla warfare by justin king september 1, 2016 washington, dc tfc due to the continued plunge into the war on terror and the different conflicts the west has started, become involved with, or prolonged. Insurgency, counterinsurgency and guerrilla warfare score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. This book changed many previouslyheld ideas i had, mainly that guerrilla war is almost impossible for a democratic society to defeat. In some cases, the use of terrorism can be an aspect of guerrilla warfare. Besides, many nations in the world have come into existence after lengthy struggles for liberation. And those who want peace in the world should remove not only war from the world but also violence.
Distinguishing terrorism from guerrilla warfare the. What is the difference between terrorism and guerrilla. Guerrilla warfare, as practiced by the spanish against napoleons occupation force, illustrates the difference between guerrilla warfare and revolutionary warfare. The tactics of guerrilla warfare stress deception and ambush, as opposed to mass confrontation, and succeed best in an irregular, rugged, terrain and with a sympathetic populace, whom guerrillas often seek to win over by propaganda, reform, and terrorism. This book examines the current state of terrorism and guerrilla warfare and indicates how they may develop in the future.
Notwithstanding the differences between these irregular warriors, it is conceivable that a terrorist may also simultaneously be an insurgent and a guerrilla. In short, terrorism mercilessly destroys social values on the pretext of protecting superior values. Contrary to some terrorist groups, guerrillas usually work in open positions as. Richard chasdi as war escalates between the united states and its allies against isis, we should understand why isis is so significant and how it attempts to terrorize with political message making. Where an open war is impossible, oppression can continue quietly behind the scenes. Terrorist tactics, such as hijackings and suicide bombings, are also considered to be asymmetrical, both because they tend to involve a smaller, weaker group attacking a stronger one and also because attacks on civilians. Terrorism, guerilla warfare and wars between unequals now called asymmetric warfare is not something new. List of books and articles about guerrilla warfare. Many pundits assert that the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter is. In guerrilla warfare, attacks arent supposed to be directed towards civilians. Definitions of terrorism also vary as to whether terrorism includes attacks against only noncombatant targets see dos definition. The book draws upon guevaras personal experience as a guerrilla soldier during the cuban revolution, generalizing for readers. Guerrilla warfare can also be called competition between opponents of unequal strength. Drawing a distinction between guerrilla warfare and terrorism, the author focuses on guerrilla activity.