Differentiating popular insurrection from terrorism

Manuel E. Yepe

28/01/2015

Opinión

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Dictionaries define terrorism as "the systematic use of violence or threat of its use by non-state groups against individuals or larger groups, to achieve political objectives whose scope often transcends national boundaries ".

They define "state terrorism" as the same actions [i.e. use of violence or threat of its use] by a government against its own subjects or against conquered communities or communities it intends to conquer.

It has become a tradition, and remains a systematic practice today, for colonial metropolises, great powers and tyrannical governments to apply the label of "terrorist" to the methods that revolutionaries and patriots use in their emancipation struggles.

In the West, the media which serve the interests of the US superpower apply the label of "terrorist" to resistance fighters in the many countries where it has carried out its interventions and occupations. Its immense media power calls "terrorist" the actions of any patriotic resistance whose clear military inferiority forces them to organize in secret or irregular units which –operating outside universally-accepted military parameters– fights the armed forces of the invaders or occupiers

Therefore, there is a need to avoid the media trap and to differentiate between revolutionary methods of fighting and terrorist methods.

Based on my own experience as a fighter in the ranks of the insurrectional movement which defeated the dictatorship ruling in Cuba until the last day of 1958, I see several differences.

Revolutionary methods are associated with the aspirations of the general population; terrorist methods are strongly rejected by the population.

Revolutionary methods seek to transform the scenario and the asymmetric conditions of the struggle, raise the fighting morale of the masses, bring in new followers to the struggle, ridicule the repressive forces of the tyrannical regime, call the world's attention to the revolutionary war being waged, and denounce the unpopular character of the oppressive government.

Revolutionary forms of clandestine struggle aim at increasing popular support for its cause and, therefore, do not try to provoke panic but rather to promote the adhesion of the citizens instead.

Terrorist methods are used by criminal gangs, mafias, drug traffickers, right-wing paramilitary organizations and, in general, by mercenaries hired by powerful economic interests. They seek to impose their authority on the basis of the fear the population feels at the cruelty of their actions. These actions may be threats, warnings or direct punishment. They do not pretend to attract people to their cause but to impose their authority on the basis of fear.

Terrorism creates panic and causes the suffering and death of innocent people. Revolutionary methods serve popular aspirations, engender admiration at the dedication of those carrying out the actions, and call to fight and sacrifice for a just cause.

Therefore, it is advisable to distrust information linking popular resistance movements anywhere in the world with terrorism; and to examine each case in the light of the motivations and objectives of the combatants and the circumstances in which the fight is fought.

It is not right either to speak of good terrorists and bad terrorists. Washington usually shamelessly approves of “friendly dictatorships” while proclaiming itself a champion of democracy. It systematically applauds, promotes and finances the terrorist actions of its allies and its own intelligence and counterintelligence organizations while at the same time presenting itself as leading a war against terror. However, more people are becoming increasingly suspicious of this war or are rejecting it.

Terrorism could never be a method of struggle by revolutionaries, because it is contrary to the interests and aspirations of the peoples, and could never be associated with a popular cause.

Hence, it is possible to clearly identify the difference between terrorism and irregular methods of revolutionary struggle. But oppressive regimes cynically try to equate the two.

And the fact is that terrorism as a method of struggle is typical of fanatics or of criminals who seek their own benefit at the expense of the common good; or of those greedy for power and wealth who despise others. Terrorism can never be the method of revolutionaries who struggle for the welfare and progress of humanity.

January 24, 2015.

- Manuel E. Yepe http://englishmanuelyepe.wordpress.com/ A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann. http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs4266.html

https://www.alainet.org/es/node/167149