Daily News

[MORELLO]

When talking about the situation in Iraq and the Blackwatch etc, what is meant by the term 'insurgents'?

[Quizmonster]

An insurgent is a rebel, someone who rises up in opposition to an established authority. Insurgents in Iraq are basically Iraqis who did not want Saddam Hussein to be deposed and who now fight the forces of the Interim Government and the Coalition.

A terrorist, on the other hand, in the Iraqi situation, is generally a foreigner - eg a militant Jordanian Islamic fundamentalist - who has religious rather than political reasons for opposition.

[MORELLO]

Thought as much. What was confusing me was that the same news reader would both the terms rebel and insurgent in the same report. Ta, Quizmonster.

[MORELLO]

'would use both'

[Oneeyedvic]

Hang on QM - the IRA were referred to as Terrorists and they were Irish - so to the Baader Meinhoff and the Tamil Tigers  all nationals of that country

 

Has the meaning changed?

[WaldoMcFroog]

With regards to terrorism, terrorism is a technique; As defined by the FBI, "the unlawful use of force against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population or any segment thereof, in the furtherance of political or social objectives". This definition includes three elements:

(1) Terrorist activities are illegal and involve the use of force.

(2) The actions are intended to intimidate or coerce.

(3) The actions are committed in support of political or social objectives.

 

It is not limited to any one people or political outlook. The IRA have used it, Bader Meinhof have used it, Palisitinian suicide bombers use it and equally so too have the USA (In 1983, a team of CIA operatives mined Nicaraguan harbors while giving the cover story that Nicaraguan contra guerrillas had placed the mines.), and France (Rainbow Warrior).

[WaldoMcFroog]

Sorry... "and so have many other countries too." - didn't mean to imply it was only the US and France!

[Oneeyedvic]

So back to the oringinal question - what is the difference between the two? And that sniper person who was eventually arrested - was he a terrorsit then - seems to meet the 3 criteria.

[Oneeyedvic]

I mean the sniper bloke who was killing people in the US at petrol stations from the back of a van (I think)

[WaldoMcFroog]

The Washington Snipers were charged of  "capital murder" and "attempted capital murder" plus "malicious wounding" and "conspiracy". I don't believe any of these are terrorism-related charges, so legally at least, I would guess not.

[Quizmonster]

Dear Vic, I did say "in the Iraqi situation" and "generally" in order to make my answer as straightforward as I could.

Of course, there are circumstances in which an insurgent might act in a terrorist-like way. By the same token, however, I cannot recall the IRA, Baader-Meinhoff etc ever having been called 'insurgents'...not even when, in the former case, their atrocities were committed on Irish - as opposed to mainland British - soil where the British government was the "established authority". It just seemed like a distinction worth drawing, but - if you don't like it - I'll happily withdraw it. Cheers.

[Oneeyedvic]

QM - sorry, I'm not sure I understand if there is a differenc or not between the two.

 

Seems to me that insurgents is just a 'newer' word and has become popular recently. Can't say I think there is any difference between terrorist / insurgent / freedom fighter. Seems to me they all want something that will probably not happen and they are prepared to kill people to get their reasons heard

 

But then I'm just a simple kind of guy!

[Peter Pedant]

you take the cherry,morello!

insurgent - he is the guy pointing the gun at you and firing.

or if you are a gurl, pouring a bucket of water over you on video and shouting in arabic, plead harder!

Iraq is clearly not a place to take a holiday

 

[norcom]

An insurgent is someone resisting governmental authority. If they are fighting on your side, they are called "freedom fighters"; if they are on the other side, they are called rebels, insurgents, terrorists or any other denigrating term your government can think of. By the way, if you use the definition given by the FBI, the US and Great Britain are conducting state sponsored terrorism.

[Reader]

Isn't it the stuff you put in the top of the washing machine?