Why is terrorism used

It strictly profiles behavior that may be linked to terrorism. Home What is Terrorism? How You Can Help Austin citizens can play a role in preventing terrorist attacks. Examples of suspicious activity include: Surveillance—Are you aware of anyone recording or monitoring activities, taking notes, using cameras, maps, binoculars, etc. Suspicious Questioning—Are you aware of anyone attempting to gain information in person, by phone, mail, e-mail, etc.

Tests of Security—Are you aware of any attempts to penetrate or test physical security or procedures at a key facility? Acquiring Supplies—Are you aware of anyone attempting to improperly acquire explosives, weapons, ammunition, dangerous chemicals, uniforms, badges, flight manuals, access cards or identification for a key facility or to legally obtain items under suspicious circumstances that could be used in a terrorist attack?

Suspicious Persons—Are you aware of anyone who does not appear to belong in the workplace, neighborhood, business establishment or near a key facility?

Terrorism can also be motivated by political views, which may overlap with religious reasons. Sometimes we can feel a whole bunch of emotions, including anger, fear and confusion.

Allow yourself to feel however you feel. It's not always easy to find the right place to start. Our 'What's on your mind? What is terrorism? Why does terrorism happen? Despite the intensity of media coverage and public perception, terrorism is actually not more frequent today than a few decades ago. Some experts believe terrorism peaked during the s. Despite the recent attacks, the U. In the United States, terrorism attacks were in sharp decline from to , decreasing from approximately incidents a year to fewer than Terrorist attacks in were mainly concentrated in Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria.

These countries saw 78 percent of the deaths and 57 percent of all attacks in the world. Since , only 3 percent of deaths caused by terrorist attacks took place in Western countries, including Australia, Canada, members of the European Union and the United States. In the U. The opposite is true. According to American University professor Audrey Cronin , terrorism as a tactic does not work well. Cronin studied terrorist groups worldwide since The groups lasted an average of eight years before they lost support or were dismantled.

No terrorist organizations that she studied were able to conquer a state, and 94 percent were unable to achieve even one of their strategic goals. This is an updated version of an article originally published on Sept.