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tweakabelle -> RE: Iran VS Israel (10/21/2012 12:14:58 AM)
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quote:
There is neither an academic nor an international legal consensus regarding the definition of the term "terrorism".[1][2] Various legal systems and government agencies use different definitions of "terrorism". Moreover, the international community has been slow to formulate a universally agreed upon, legally binding definition of this crime. These difficulties arise from the fact that the term "terrorism" is politically and emotionally charged.
Furthermore, from the same source:
As Bruce Hoffman has noted: "terrorism is a pejorative term. It is a word with intrinsically negative connotations that is generally applied to one's enemies and opponents, or to those with whom one disagrees and would otherwise prefer to ignore. (...) Hence the decision to call someone or label some organization 'terrorist' becomes almost unavoidably subjective, depending largely on whether one sympathizes with or opposes the person/group/cause concerned. If one identifies with the victim of the violence, for example, then the act is terrorism. If, however, one identifies with the perpetrator, the violent act is regarded in a more sympathetic, if not positive (or, at the worst, an ambivalent) light; and it is not terrorism."[3] For this and for political reasons, many news sources (such as Reuters) avoid using this term, opting instead for less accusatory words like "bombers", "militants", etc.[9][10]
Nicely describes all of your arguments regarding Iranian "terrorism."
Both Israel and Iran have interesting histories in relation to "terrorism".
Israel was founded on the back on terrorism by the Hagannah, the Irgun, the Lehi and others who conducted numerous terrorist operations against the British, and then ethnically cleansed the Palestinians off the land occupied by Israel in 1948-9. Among other things, the Lehi contacted the Nazi Germans (at least twice), proposing the formation of a Lehi-Nazi alliance against the British. Many former terrorists became notable Israeli politicians. Begin, Ben Gurion and (Lehi leader) Shamir are three who made it to the Prime Minister of Israel's office, despite all three being sentence to death by the British for their terrorist activities. It can very easily be argued that the ongoing Israeli Occupation of Palestine is based on ongoing ethnic cleansing and terrorising the Palestinians into submission, ie. it is state sanctioned terrorism.
Iran's Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK), recently taken off the official US list of terrorist organisations started life as a quasi-Marxist group opposing the Shah. Their victims included Americans I believe. The Shah, one of the more bloodthirsty dictators in a region noted for its bloodthirsty dictators, called the MEK "terrorists". The MEK lost the power struggle with Khomeini post the Islamic Revolution and were hunted down mercilessly by the Ayatollahs. They found refuge in Saddam's Iraq, from where they conducted a low intensity guerrilla/terrorist campaign against the Teheran regime. The Teheran regime's hands are far from clean in relation to terrorism too - they are alleged to finance groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Ironically both sets of newly 'respectable' terrorists, the Israelis and the MEK, have currently linked up to sabotage the Iranian regime. It is widely believed that the MEK, under Israeli direction, carried out the terrorist murders of several leading Iranian scientists recently, in an effort to delay Iran's alleged nuclear ambitions being realised. Birds of a feather flocking together .........
So we really ought to be very careful about throwing loaded terms such as 'terrorism' around when discussing the ME - all sides are either deeply involved in 'terrorism' now, or have long histories of 'terrorist' activities.
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