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Nonaligned want terrorism redefined



ADDENDUM

TERRORISM

TEXT 1

Terrorismisthe threat or use of violence, often against the civilian population, to achieve political or social ends, to intimidate opponents, or to publicize grievances. The term dates from the Reign of Terror (1793—94) in the French Revolution but has taken on additional meaning in the 20th cent. Terrorism involves activities such as assassinations, bombings, random killings, and hijackings. Used for political, not military, purposes, and most typically by groups too weak to mount open assaults, it is a modern tool of the alienated, and its psychological impact on the public has increased because of extensive coverage by the media. Political terrorism also may be part of a government campaign to eliminate the opposition, as under Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and others, or may be part of a revolutionary effort to overthrow a regime. Terrorist attacks also are now a common tactic in guerrilla warfare. Governments find attacks by terrorist groups difficult to prevent; international agreements to tighten borders or return terrorists for trial may offer some deterrence.

Terrorism reaches back to ancient Greece and has occurred throughout history. Terrorism by radicals (of both the left and right) and by nationalists became widespread after World War II. Since the late 20th cent. acts of terrorism have been associated with the Italian Red Brigades, the Irish Republican Army, the Palestine Liberation Organization, Peru's Shining Path, Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the Weathermen and some members of U.S. "militia" organizations, among many groups. Religiously inspired terrrorism has also occurred, such as that of extremist Christian opponents of abortion in the United States; of extremist Muslims associated with Hamas, Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda, and other organizations; of extremist Sikhs in India; and of Japan's Aum Shinrikyo, who released nerve gas in Tokyo's subway system (1995).

In 1999 the UN Security Council unanimously called for better international cooperation in fighting terrorism and asked governments not to aid terrorists. The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by Al Qaeda on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon–the most devastating terrorist attacks in history–prompted calls by U.S. political leaders for a world "war on terrorism." Although the U.S. effort to destroy Al Qaeda and overthrow the Afghani government that hosted it was initially successful, terrorism is not a movement but a tactic used by a wide variety of groups, some of which are regarded (and supported) as "freedom fighters" in various countries or by various peoples. So-called state-sponsored terrorism, in which governments provide support or protection to terrorist groups that carry out proxy attacks against other countries, also complicates international efforts to end terror attacks, but financial sanctions have been placed by many countries on organizations that directly or indirectly support terrorists. The 2001 bioterror attacks in which anthrax spores were mailed to various U.S. media and government offices may not be linked to the events of September 11, but they raised specter of biological and chemical terrorism and revealed the difficulty of dealing with such attacks.

 

TEXT 2

 

Nonaligned want terrorism redefined

Iran, Syria, North Korea and more than 100 other nations are pushing to broaden the world's definition of "terrorism" to include the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

Converging on Fidel Castro's communist Cuba for a summit this week, members of the Nonaligned Movement complain of a double standard: powerful nations like the United States and Israel decide for the world who the terrorists are, but face no punishment for their own acts of aggression.

A draft of the group's joint declaration condemns "terrorism in all its forms," especially violence that targets civilians.

Terrorism should not be associated with any religion or nationality, says the draft. It singles out a favored phrase of President Bush in declaring that member countries "totally reject the use of the term 'axis of evil' by a certain state to target other states under the pretext of combating terrorism."

A Cuban official said sarcastically on Tuesday that the U.S. could one day accuse the entire Nonaligned Movement of supporting terrorism.

"Reading some news reports ... I'm left to believe that the axis of evil is growing," said Abelardo Moreno, Cuba's vice foreign minister. "Soon, the (axis of evil) will be made up of 118 countries."

Cuba says the U.S. is particularly hypocritical in the case of a former CIA operative and Castro foe wanted in Venezuela in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban jetliner from Caracas that killed 73 people.

On Monday, as the U.S. sought global support for its response to the Sept. 11 attacks five years ago, a federal magistrate in Texas said Luis Posada Carriles should be released while he waits to be deported anywhere but Cuba or Venezuela, where the U.S. fears he could be tortured.

The draft declaration condemns Israel's invasion of Lebanon, with no balancing comments about Hezbollah's missile attacks on Israel.

It also hails the Lebanese people's "heroic resistance to the Israeli aggression" and demands that Israel compensate the Lebanese government and people for the deaths, injuries and destruction the war caused.

Despite the recent spotlight on Lebanon, many representatives from nonaligned countries said much of the world's terrorist activity won't end until a solution is found for the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territories.

"This issue is at the core of so many problems that it would help stop some terrorism if it were resolved," said Khalid A. al-Akwa, a Yemeni Foreign Ministry official.

If Israel and its neighbors respect each other's borders and recognize the right of both states to exist, Palestinian resistance groups could eventually disappear, he predicted.

Many Arab officials say al-Qaida is in a different category, one representing true terrorists. Al-Akwa agreed.

"They target civilians, they lack the cause and the justification, they don't distinguish among anyone — they're even attacking us Muslims," he said. "And they have a different political agenda, to extend an Islamist system that doesn't really have anything to do with our religion."

The document could be muted in this week's debate. A North African diplomat described the section on terrorism as "alphabet soup," because it tries to include all members' perspectives. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.

And while many Arab diplomats privately describe the military actions of the United States and Israel as examples of "state terrorism," a specific reference to this was eliminated during Monday's discussion, according to al-Akwa.

He said he did not know why the section was taken out, but he didn't hear very much objection, "not even by the Palestinian delegation."

Terrorist acts against civilians in Iraq are also condemned in the summit document, which offers support for the current Iraqi government — also backed by the United States. But many nonaligned countries have sharply criticized the invasion of Iraq, and the current U.S. occupation is sure to be addressed this week.

Iraq has a delegation to the summit, though it was not immediately clear who was leading it.

Even India and other countries that have good relations with the West called for less labeling and more cultural sensitivity, citing racial profiling and discrimination against people from Middle Eastern and Asian countries.

Debate is expected to get particularly lively after the arrival of outspoken anti-American leaders including presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, Bashar Assad of Syria, and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. North Korea is sending its No. 2 leader, Kim Yong Nam.

 

Vocabulary Notes:

converge - сходиться в одной точке (о линиях и т. п.)

summit - вершина; перен. предел, верх, собрание глав государств

align - выстраивать в линию (войска)

nonaligned

to define - устанавливать значение (слова и т. п.); определять

to be associated with religion or nationality

double standard

powerful nations

violence

to target civilians

occupation of

invasion of

acts of aggression

condemn - осуждать, приговаривать

joint - соединённый, общий, совместный

axis - ось

pretext - предлог, отговорка

on (или under) the pretext of — под предлогом

nonaligned movement

foe [fou] - враг

magistrate - судья; член магистрата

spotlight - центр внимания

core - сердцевина; внутренность; ядро, суть, сущность

agenda - повестка дня

authorize - уполномочивать; дозволять

eliminate - изымать, исключать, устранять

eliminate a possibility — исключать возможность

outspoken - искренний, откровенный, прямой

 

Tasks:

1. Pronounce correctly:

 

Iran

Iraq

Syria

Cuba

Lebanon

North Korea

Israel

Cuban official

Venezuela

Caracas

Arab official

Al-Qaida

Hezbollah

“exis of evil”

Muslims

Islamist

Palestinian delegation

 

 

2. Translate in to English:

 

вторжение в Ливан

оккупация Ирака

затрагивать простых граждан

политика двойных стандартов

агрессия

переформулировать определение «терроризма»

искать поддержку у др. государств

под предлогом борьбы против терроризма

бомбардировки с воздуха

министр иностранных дел

должностное лицо, официальный представитель

правительство Ливана

быть неуполномоченным говорить с журналистами

военные действия

 

 




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