Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

INTRODUCTION • lxxiiiTable I.1: Generation of TypologyType of ObjectiveType of Actor Repressive Revolutionary LimitedState Tonton Macoutes Islamic Wrath of GodRevolutionaryGuards CorpsRevolutionary Force 17 Sendero Luminoso Black SeptemberEntrepreneurial The Extraditables PFLP-General Animal RightsCommandGroupsAlthough this congruence of actor types and goals seems intuitive, it doesnot tell the entire story. In fact, each basic type of actor can use terrorismin each of the three ways described earlier. While the main upper-leftto lower-right diagonal contains the most favored position for each ofthe actor types, the off-diagonal positions are roles that such groups canoccupy as situations require. Thus, although al Fatah is primarily a revolutionarygroup seeking the establishment of a Palestinian state, it alsohas a “regime maintaining” goal of keeping other Palestinians in line andpunishing dissidents. Therefore, it created Force 17 as its own version ofa security police and intelligence force within the Palestinian community.Following the expulsion of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)from Jordan, al Fatah also sought the limited goal of punishing Jordaniangovernment and military authorities. To that limited end, al Fatah createdthe Black September Organization, which very quickly expanded its listof targets to include Israel and the western nations.The example of the Extraditables, an extension of the Medellín drugcartel, which was essentially a criminal entrepreneurial group, showshow even entrepreneurial groups can act as protectors of a status quo oras a revolutionary group. In this case, the status quo would have beenthe cartel’s domination over much of the economic life of Colombiaand over the rural communities producing the coca crop. The cartel hasalso behaved in a revolutionary manner in seeking to destabilize theColombian government through wholesale terrorism against not onlythe Colombian government but even against terrorist guerrilla groupsthat have interfered with the drug cartel’s operations and profits.State actors also can seek to produce revolutions in other nations oruse terror to achieve limited goals. Iran has sought to export its Islamic