Midterm Terrorism and Counterterrorism: classifying the Taliban
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Course
Terrorism and Counterterrorism
Institution
Universiteit Leiden (UL)
Midterm essay for the course Terrorism and Counterterrorism from the program Security Studies about topic 1: Terrorists, insurgents, or neither? Classifying the Taliban. Graded with a 7.8.
Title: In a web of definitions: labelling the Taliban
Topic 1: Terrorists, insurgents or neither? Classifying the Taliban
S2839032
Security Studies: Terrorism and Counterterrorism
Date: 24-11-2021
Word count: 1988
1
, In a web of definitions: labelling the Taliban
Introduction
Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 the organization has been
covered in many media outlets and its nature has been the subject of political discussions
(BBC, 2021). Several individual members of the Taliban have been classified as terrorists by
the United States (Maizland, 2021) and media are often quick to consider any Islamist
organization ‘terroristic’ once they express a radical view, but as we are forced to deal with
this particular organization on a state level and in international politics, one may wonder
which label actually fits the organization.
The term terrorism has been an ambiguous concept since the emergence of the research field
in the 1960s and 1970s (Schmid, 2011) and many scholars disagree on its definition.
Terrorism can be considered a contested concept and the concepts used are influenced by
political interests, (de-)legitimization goals and the social and historical context (Schmid,
2004).
Nevertheless, despite its inherent subjective value, having an objective and internationally
accepted definition of terrorism would improve the quality of the scholarly literature in the
field (source). Furthermore, being able to label an organization ‘terrorists’ allows for effective
offensive action, counter-measures, and creates international agreements (Ganor, 2002;
Schmid, 2004). Relating this to the Taliban, it is hard to find literature that researches the
labels that the organization has gained throughout the years. Some call them ‘insurgents’
while others give them the label ‘terrorists’. On many occasions, one can also see the two
concepts, although distinctive in definition, used intertwined to address the militant
organization (see Stenersen, 2009, p.2). Having to deal with the Taliban in international
politics from now on, it would be useful to give the organization a proper label, if any label at
all, and be able to implement the definitions and consequences of said label in international
agreements and policy negotiations.
This paper discusses the various definitions of terrorism, insurgency and guerrilla warfare,
and their applicability to the Taliban according to the literature, as the question should be
asked: to what extent can the Taliban be labelled a terrorist group?
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