Deck 4: Terror From Above: Terrorism by the State

Question 1

Possible purposes of government-sponsored social and ethnic cleansing include which of the following?

A) to keep cities and towns neat and clean when undesirables move in
B) finish creating an orderly society for the benefit of all the people
C) to keep the peace for the benefit of the poor
D) promote law and order and/or eliminate the presence of an ethnic group

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The Khmer Rouge targeted which group of people?

A) Cambodian ideological undesirables and perceived enemies
B) Basque separatists in Spain
C) Kurdish residents in Iraq
D) Christians and religious minorities in Sudan

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following statements regarding death squads in Latin America is most accurate?

A) Death squads have been used in the international war on terrorism.
B) Death squads assisted in the recovery and burial of victims of political violence.
C) Death squads were a product of cult-like opposition to government authority.
D) Death squads were often supported by elites and governments to carry out extra-legal acts of violence.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Among the degrees of state violence, which of the following involves the elimination of a scapegoat group?

A) assassinations
B) torture
C) genocide
D) none of these

Question 5

State sponsors of terrorism are listed in which of the following publications?

A) Annual Report on Terrorism
B) Country Reports of Terrorist Attacks
C) Foreign Terrorist Organizations
D) Country Reports on Terrorism

Question 6

Terrorist "proxies" refer to ______.

A) terrorists who resist control by governments
B) terrorists who are independent of any constraints
C) terrorists who have government sponsors
D) both "terrorists who resist control by governments" and "terrorists who are independent of any constraints"

Question 7

Which of the following statements regarding government "deniability" is most accurate?

A) Some governments deny that terrorism exists.
B) Some governments deny the people's human rights.
C) Some governments try to hide or otherwise cover up their participation in international terrorism.
D) All of these.

Question 8

Paramilitaries have historically been used by governments for which of the following purposes?

A) for the suppression of internal opposition
B) for the defense of government interests during times of political instability
C) to serve as deniable assets
D) all of these

Question 9

Vigilante domestic state terrorism refers to ______.

A) environments when governments "unleash" their proxies
B) the use of "wild west" tactics
C) hiring deputized law enforcement officers
D) violent watchful vigilance by government officials

Question 10

Social cleansing refers to ______.

A) government-sponsored purification policies
B) assuring that the population is adequately provided for
C) targeted repression of identified "undesirable" social groups
D) genocidal annihilation of undesirables

Question 11

Among the degrees of state violence, which of the following involves the marshaling of the conventional military forces of the state?

A) assassinations
B) torture
C) genocide
D) none of these

Question 12

The United States imposes which of the following sanctions against state sponsors of terrorism?

A) bans on arms-related exports and sales
B) prohibitions on economic assistance
C) both "bans on arms-related exports and sales" and "prohibitions on economic assistance"
D) "bans on arms-related exports and sales" but not "prohibitions on economic assistance"

Question 13

The Anfal Campaign targeted which group of people?

A) Cambodian ideological undesirables and enemies
B) Basque separatists in Spain
C) Kurdish residents in Iraq
D) Christians and religious minorities in Sudan

Question 14

Senator Joseph McCarthy presided over a period known as "McCarthyism" that involved which of the following countermeasures?

A) the "Palmer Raids"
B) internment camps
C) Senate hearings and investigations
D) suspension of the writ of habeas corpus

Question 15

Auto-genocide refers to ______.

A) genocide directed against one's own people
B) genocide that occurs automatically
C) genocide supported by corporate leaders
D) genocide that is being planned but has not yet been carried out

Question 16

Why was a new international counterterrorist legal framework established during the second half of the 20th century?

A) Communism threatened democracy.
B) Terrorism had never been illegal prior to this time.
C) No one had thought of it before.
D) A legal framework was needed to respond to rogue-state sponsors of terrorism.

Question 17

International "watchdog" organizations will often engage in which of the following activities?

A) conduct covert surveillance on government officials and activities
B) serve as a counterpoint to official government versions of events
C) impose economic sanctions on rogue governments
D) both "conduct covert surveillance on government officials and activities" and "serve as a counterpoint to official government versions of events"

Question 18

Which of the following regimes engaged in state-sponsored terrorism in the modern era?

A) the regime of Idi Amin in Uganda
B) the regime of Muammar el-Qaddafi in Libya
C) the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq
D) all of these

Question 19

Which of the following statements most accurately reflects the attributes of state terrorism?

A) the use of covert force abroad
B) the justification that domestic violence is necessary for the good of the nation
C) authoritarian measures are the only way to achieve stability
D) all of these

Question 20

Among the degrees of state violence, which of the following involves the application of homicidal state violence to eliminate a single person or a specified group of people?

A) assassinations
B) torture
C) genocide
D) none of these

Question 21

Governments often justify domestic violence as being necessary for the good of the nation.

Question 22

Are authoritarian measures sometimes justifiable and necessary?

Question 23

Why do some governments engage in international terrorism as a matter of policy? Discuss international environments that give rise to international state terrorism. Is government-sponsored international political violence ever justifiable?

Question 24

What explains the pattern of right-wing governments in Latin America during the Cold War?

Question 25

In your opinion, what sort of government was that of Muammar el-Qaddafi?

Question 26

The Anfal Campaign was an act of genocide in Cambodia.

Question 27

Auto-genocide refers to genocide conducted automatically.

Question 28

One purpose of paramilitary death squads is to provide a degree of "deniability" for the state.

Question 29

In what ways does state terrorism pose a more significant threat to the international community than do non-state terrorist groups?

Question 30

Discuss why governments often try to hide or otherwise cover up their participation in international terrorism.

Question 31

Is "social cleansing" inherently a terrorist policy? Explain your answer.

Question 32

State terrorism involves the overt use of force abroad.

Question 33

In your opinion, what sort of government was that of Saddam Hussein?

Question 34

Muammar el-Qaddafi was a primary perpetrator of international state-sponsored terrorism for nearly two decades.

Question 35

The Contras fought against the United States in Nicaragua.

Question 36

Ethnic and social cleansing peacefully occur when governments ask the people to help enforce the laws.

Question 37

Vigilante domestic state terrorism is when governments "unleash" their proxies.

Question 38

What are "terrorist proxies"? Explain how countries use these proxies. Why do they do so? Discuss potential benefits enjoyed by sponsors who use such proxies. Discuss potential risks.

Question 39

Were death squads in Latin America an outgrowth of global ideological conflict? Explain your answer.

Question 40

Briefly describe the purpose of "blacklisting" and other authoritarian measures during Red Scares in the United States.

Question 41

In your opinion, why do democracies sometimes use authoritarian methods?

Question 42

Discuss the reporting of state repression within the context of international "watchdog" organizations. Why is this a critical function when dealing with official government versions of events?

Question 43

Compare and contrast the Anfal Campaign in Iraq and the behavior of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Discuss the selection of their victims and reasons, including why these victims were targeted. Discuss lessons from these cases on how and why state-sponsored genocide occurs.

Question 44

Genocidal repression by governments is universally condemned. Nevertheless, international responses are often slow at best. Why? What factors enter into the calculation to intervene or condemn such behavior?

Question 45

Briefly discuss the role of paramilitaries and how they can be effective in suppressing internal opposition.

Question 46

Discuss why some governments engage in social and ethnic cleansing. What is the purpose of such campaigns?

Question 47

Why do some governments engage in domestic terrorism as a matter of policy? Discuss domestic social and political environments that give rise to domestic state terrorism. Is government-sponsored domestic political violence ever justifiable?

Question 48

In your opinion, are authoritarian regimes more likely to engage in domestic and international terrorism than are democratic regimes? If so, why? If not, why not? Explain your answer.