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A Chronology of a Never-Ending Evil
Review by Rorin M. Platt*
Chronology of World Terrorism, 1901-2001. By Henry E. Mattox. (Jefferson, N.C. and London, England: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2004. Pp. vii, 187. $45 cloth.)
"Henry Mattox's superbly-written summary of global terrorism during the twentieth-century recognizes its first-century origins and historical continuity. He justifiably defines it as 'Politically motivated attacks, including assassinations and hijackings, usually inflicted on civilian targets.' Mattox reminds us that terrorism—while 'nothing new'—remains 'a fact of daily life for much of the world's population.' Modern terrorism has failed, he argues, due to its lack of popular support and isolation from the political process."
Henry Mattox's superbly-written summary of global terrorism during the twentieth-century (beginning with the McKinley assassination in 1901 and ending with the September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington) recognizes its first-century origins and historical continuity. Mattox, a veteran Foreign Service officer and editor of American Diplomacy, justifiably defines terrorism as "Politically motivated attacks, including assassinations and hijackings, usually inflicted on civilian targets." He reminds us that terrorism—while "nothing new"—remains "a fact of daily life for much of the world's population." Modern terrorism has failed, he argues, due to its lack of popular support and isolation from the political process. "Terrorism historically has failed to force the changes its adherents seek."
In his well-crafted preface, the author notes that during the year following the 9/11 attack (that took the lives of more than 2,800 Americans in a single day)—"the worst single terrorist act. . . ever, anywhere"—federal expenditures for combating terrorism reached an astronomical $37 billion! Mattox's gruesome chronicle of the ongoing political violence directed against civilians since 1901 belies the remarks of failed presidential contender, John Kerry, who said: "We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they're a nuisance." Surely that is not possible in the postmodern "Age of Bin Laden" when all Christians and Jews remain fair game for his fanatical al-Qaeda terrorists, who are—Mattox observes—"often well financed and imbued with religious fervor combined with political ambitions."
Mattox's account of terrorism during the past century validates the futility of appeasing its practitioners. A return to the pre-9/11 mentality would almost certainly produce more horrendous acts of political violence. Israel's tough response to and refusal to negotiate with air hijackers along with its rigorous preflight screening of El Al passengers has resulted in few such incidents since the first one in 1968. The author correctly observes that in the decade following the peak of skyjacking (1968-72), the number of such atrocities dramatically fell due to "the implementation of deterrent and prevention measures and international agreements."
This succinctly-written chronology includes the "crimes of the century," as well as more obscure acts of terrorism. The former features the Lockerbie, Scotland 747 explosion (1989), the Oklahoma City bombing (1995), and the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington (2001)—the "most devastating international terrorist attack in recorded history." The latter includes the Turkish massacre of 30,000 Bulgars resisting Ottoman rule in 1903 and the Iraqi slaughter of some 3,000 Assyrians in Simele, Iraq in 1933.
Judiciously selected examples from each decade of the century are preceded by brief, but most useful introductions that provide historical context and crisply-penned critical analysis of the period under examination. Also useful are a a list of "Notable Terrorist Organizations," "International Conventions on Terrorism," and the UN Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) in the appendices.
The only blemish in this exceptionally-researched volume is the listing of Rep. Lawrence P. McDonald (D. GA) as a victim of a bomb explosion—placed by Sikh separatists—on an Air India flight bound for New Delhi via London in 1985. Congressman McDonald, chairman of the ultra-conservative John Birch Society, perished (along with 268 other passengers and crew) aboard the doomed KAL 007 en route to Seoul after being attacked by a Soviet MIG in 1983. (Conspiracy theorists and fellow Birchers still believe that their anti-Communist icon had deliberately been targeted by Moscow, the straying of the civilian airliner into Soviet airspace notwithstanding.)
In his insightful and convincing conclusion, Mattox reflects on the "popular impact of terrorism over time," the motives of the perpetrators ("a feeling of alienation, a sense of humiliation, and a dedication to a struggle for ethno-religious supremacy"), and the nature of terrorism (e.g. state terrorism vs. anti-colonial terrorism). Mattox maintains that the continuing struggle against terrorism notwithstanding, twentieth-century terrorists have largely failed due to "their removal from mainstream politics and their isolation from the vast majority of the populace." The savage methods employed by modern terrorists against civilian targets—he points out—have often led to disaffection among the very elements of the population whose support they need. Mattox rightly concludes: "Fundamentally, terrorism's underlying conviction that great power can be achieved through great violence has fallen flat: The one does not follow the other." Simply put, this wise and experienced veteran of the Foreign Service believes that terrorism has been and will continue to be a deadly exercise in futility. Let's hope he's right.
October 5, 2004
Endnotes
Note *: Rorin M. Platt is Book Review Editor for American Diplomacy and a member of American Diplomacy Publishers' Board of Directors. A native of Virginia, he received his B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill, his M.A. from UNC-Greensboro, and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland-College Park, following government service. He has also studied at Georgetown University and UVA and taught at a number of institutions, including Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC where he serves as Associate Professor of History. A diplomatic historian who specializes in American intelligence history, Platt has authored two books and a number of articles and book reviews, including Virginia in Foreign Affairs, 1933-1941. He is presently writing a history of Virginians who served in America's World War II intelligence services. Back