The Manager's Guide to Terrorism, Risk, and Insurance - Episode Three - What is Terrorism? Podcast By cover art

The Manager's Guide to Terrorism, Risk, and Insurance - Episode Three - What is Terrorism?

The Manager's Guide to Terrorism, Risk, and Insurance - Episode Three - What is Terrorism?

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Hello and Welcome to The Manager’s Guide to Terrorism, Risk, and Insurance – Essential for Today’s Business. The authors are David J. Smith and Mark D. Silinsky. This is a Rothstein Publishing product. These are podcasts analyzing the intersection of today’s business practices and international terrorism. They are brought as a courtesy of Kensington Security Consulting, which brings education to national security. In episode three we will define terrorism and see how it , we will broadly cover terrorism and its impact on businesses. Defining Terrorism "The struggle to define terrorism is sometimes as hard as the struggle against terrorism itself." -- Boaz Ganor (Pipes, 2015, June 2). It has not been possible to create a single, universally accepted definition of terrorism. The term is often surrounded by political controversy. For example, you could describe the killers of the cartoonists at the satirical French Charlie Hebdo magazine as terrorists. However, editors at the influential British Broadcasting Corporation's Arabic service refused to use the term, explaining, “Terrorism is such a loaded word.” The United Nations has struggled for more than a decade to define terrorism. One useful definition comes from senior writers at the journal Risk Management. Written in 2002, it is very comprehensive: "An act, including, but not limited to, the use of force or violence, committed by any person or persons acting on behalf of or in connection with any organization, creating serious violence against a person or serious damage to property or a significant risk to public health or safety, undertaken to influence a government or civilian population for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, or ideological cause." Although lengthy, this definition is thorough. The US government defines terrorism as “any activity that (A) involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human life that is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any state, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or any state; and (B) appears to be intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government through intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping." Additionally, it is summarized more concisely as "premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets" (United States Code, 1984; US Department of State, 2006). The authors of this book adopt this definition of terrorism, which helps distinguish between non-terrorist acts of violence and terrorist acts. Politics is a key aspect of terrorism. If someone steals from your company purely out of greed, that isn't terrorism. The thief isn't making a political statement; they just want something for free. The thief probably has no interest in politics and likely doesn't link your company to political issues. However, if someone threatens to bomb your company for political reasons, that is terrorism. Whether or not nation-states can also be considered terrorist states is beyond this book's scope. But if a threat or act of violence is politically motivated, this book will classify it as terrorism. Workplace Violence and Terrorism In today’s world, terrorist violence is quite common. If your business has offices in the Middle East and Europe, you probably worry about terrorism. But in the US, most workplace violence has nothing to do with terrorism or politics. Each year, workplace violence results in nearly two million non-fatal acts and about 600 employee deaths. It has remained among the top four causes of death at work for years. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines workplace violence as any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. It ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even homicide. This definition does not address motive. Most motives for workplace violence are unrelated to global politics or religious anger. You have probably supervised employees who are discontent or unhappy. If you have fired, demoted, or laid off employees, you may have been subjected to verbal abuse or physical threats. You may have feared for your safety. When you disciplined an employee, gave a poor evaluation, or spoke firmly about inadequate performance, you likely noticed that the employee was upset. This is normal, but workplace violence is not. Two case studies illustrate the possible connection between workplace violence and terrorism. In both cases, the perpetrators had political as well as personal grievances. This concludes the third episode of The Manager’s Guide to Terrorism, Risk, and Insurance – Essential for Today’s Business. The full book is available for purchase online from Rothstein Publishing. Nothing in this ...
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