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TERRORISM TODAY

UNIT 4: DISSIDENT TERRORISM

Dissident terrorism, or terror from below, examines the ideologies of various terror organizations.  These ideologies include nihilism, ethnonationalism, terrorism from the Left and Right, and religious terrorism.  Students will focus on groups that have employed these strategies and measure their effectiveness.  In addition, students will explore the impact of Radical Islam and why those who engage in religious terrorism are particularly dangerous.  After analyzing the current terror organizations, students will decide which group poses the largest international threat.   

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

  • What ideologies do terrorists subscribe to?

  • How do terrorist ideologies impact recruitment and financing?

  • What hypocrisies exist amongst terrorist groups?

  • Why is religious terrorism particularly dangerous?

  • What terrorist group poses the largest international threat?

  • Is terrorism effective?

Essential Questions

VIDEOS

Videos
What is the Irish Republican Army?

  • What are the goals of the IRA?

  • Why is the IRA ethnonationalist?

Is the PKK a Terrorist Group?

  • How does perspective shape history?

  • Why is the PKK ethnonationalist?

On Ethnonationalism

  • How does the Far-Right use ethnonationalism?

  • What is the difference between groups like IRA or PKK and Far-Right wing ethnonationalists?

Decade of Hate: The Rise of France's Far-Right Youth
*DISCLAIMER: Because of the content, this video may contain language that some find offensive.

  • Why is the Far-Right growing in France?

Decade of Hate: The Replacement Conspiracy Inspiring Mass Shootings
*DISCLAIMER: Because of the content, this video may contain language that some find offensive.

  • What is the Great Replacement Theory?

  • Why is this theory spreading in Europe and the U.S.?

Ruby Ridge and Waco

  • Events at Ruby Ridge, ID and Waco, TX in the early 1990s became calling cards for the Far Right who saw the government abusing its power and trying to take people's guns away.  This fear still exists among many in today's Far Right.

The Black Bloc: Inside America's Far-Left
*DISCLAIMER: Because of the content, this video may contain language that some find offensive.

  • How does the Black Bloc view itself?

  • Is the Far-Left becoming what they claim to be fighting against?

Terrorism of the New Left with Dr. Michael Decker

  • The Far-Left is not a new ideology.  In fact, we saw an emergence during the 1960s-70s.  What were the goals of the Far Left during that time period?

  • Why did the New Left ultimately fail?

How Religious Are 'Islamic' Terrorists?

  • Are religious terrorists really "religious"?

UNIT SOURCES

Sources

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