BHS 411 Issues of Terrorism Mod 3 SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BHS 411 Issues of Terrorism Mod 3 SLP - Essay Example But there is no knowing what the target of the homicidal maniacs will be the next time around. â€Å"Political terrorism is not likely to disappear from the stage, but viewing it as a theater may help prevent mindless tragedies. Down go the houselights, up goes the curtain, and then—bang. The stage becomes alive with the sounds, the lights and the characters of a highly dramatic performance. The actors are political terrorists, protagonists of much modern tragedy, and their theater is the globe.† (Rubin Z. Jeffrey and Friedland Nehemia; â€Å"Theater of Terror†, Psychology Today; March 1986; p. 240) Whoever can be suspected of sponsoring terrorist attacks on the USA? True, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been consistent in his anti-American stance. It has also been said that he has some mental health problems. But anti-American rhetoric need not necessarily translate into funding of terrorism against the USA. After all, his country is far too close to the USA for him to risk retaliation that could leave Venezuela reduced to rubble. Besides, whether or not he has mental health problems, he is not insane enough not to worry about the oil reserves in his country. Therefore, the obvious suspects need not necessarily prove guilty. Yes, Iran and North Korea are hostile enough to the USA to be expected to train and fund a terrorist attack on the USA, but the former looks far too obsessed with its nuclear ambitions to invite US retaliation; North Korea clearly lacks the resources to fund a terrorist attack. Does that mean the USA is more or less safe? No, it does not, for the very valid reason that international terrorist groups are, by and large, self-sufficient. For instance, not long ago it became known that the money that the oil-rich Saudis had given away in charity had found its way into terrorists’ coffers, and there are some rogue states willing to sell sophisticated arms to terrorist groups, little