The Politics of Terrorism

Sample Solution

The Politics of Terrorism exposes the stark reality behind the ‘War on Terrorism’ and reveals a ‘War of Terrorism’ being fought to maintain U.S. empire. Subjecting the theoretical and rhetorical pretexts used to justify the war on terror to penetrating analysis, the author deconstructs the ideological edifice supporting global interventionism and domestic repression being undertaken by a militarized U.S. national security state seeking to achieve global hegemony on behalf of the American Corporate Plutocracy. By examining the symbiotic relationship between state and individual terrorism, a clear distinction is made between political violence in the service of repression and armed struggle as a form of resistance to oppression.

ows what's the correct thing to do" (18) for every circumstance. Tom does not realize that his actions appear ludicrous to Huck Finn, who wonders why life must be dictated according to what is written on a page instead of what a person learns through experience. Whenever Huck suggests an alternate plan to their latest game, he finds it is not "romantical enough for Tom Sawyer"(249). Because Tom reads adventure novels laced with action , he believes that all aspects of life, including simple tasks must be suspenseful. Huck notes that no matter what he comes up with, Tom's plans will be superior. This is because whatever Tom thinks of will naturally be "worth fifteen of [Huck's], for style" (247) and possibly life threatening. But while Tom's beliefs contradict with Huck's simplistic views, Huck goes along with the plan because Tom insists it is the way things are done. When Huck discovers that Tom knew about Jim's free status, he wonders if all the work they made Jim go through to escape was truly right. Mark Twain questions whether society is truly civilized. When the Widow Douglas tries to educate Huck, he finds that "it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal and regular and decent the widow was in all her ways" (9). Unused to the regulations of society, Huck prefers his normal rags to the stuffy clothes the widow offers. When he is suddenly asked to become respectable, Huck finds it hard to conform, as he must give up his old ways of life after living mostly on the edge. Also, Huck notes throughout his journey how society is perhaps not as urbane as people like the widow portray it to be. As Huck learns, "the average man's a coward" (158) that hides behind a mask of decency to disguise his true intentions. He sees how those that are considered 'gentlemen' are all too willing to kill others that insult their family honor, and that people will pretend to be royalty, the highest form of civilization, just to swindle others out of their money. Huck becomes mortified at how civilized people are so willing to cheat or kill each other for the simplest things. Twain takes Huck through the Deep South, where this behavior is rampant. The unsaid irony is that the gentlemen who claim to be cultured and civilized are in fact those who employ thousands of slave laborers. As Huck notes, "human beings can be awful cruel to one another"(245). If these civilized men practice barbarism, then why would anyone wish to join their society? This is why, when Huck returns home to the widow's house, he plans to escape and go West, instead of joining a society that is perhaps more dangerous than the wilderness. Civilization is a subjective term. Many times, those that are considered proper and civilized commit heinous crimes, as the South did with enslaving the blacks. But Huckleberry Finn, a mere child, finds a way to see past the trappings of civilization, and discovers he is better off without being civilized. Twain's persuasive argument is that the Southern 'romantic' life was hardly romantic at all. For in the 1840's that Huck lived, a wilderness existed that would only be tamed by courageous people who relied upon their ability to survive in a harsh environment, not the fanciful tales told in books