Environmental Terrorism: A Deconstructive Analysis of Its Types and Perpetrators

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Public and International Law, Faculty of Law, Qom University, Iran

2 PhD student in International Law, Faculty of Law, Qom University, Iran

3 PhD Student in Public Law, Mazandaran University, Mazandaran, Iran

Abstract

The environmental terrorism in the sense of employing the environmental factors in terrorist attacks is recognized as the most complex types of terrorism. So far, no definite theory concerned with why there is a tendency towards utilizing these factors in the course of terrorist attacks has been supported. Mass casualties with epidemic effects and creating chaos plus unnatural conditions in the society, and even in the entire world appear to be the central nucleus of most of these attacks, something which has been realized in most of these attacks. The most important objective beyond these attacks is the sense of taking revenge produced by the inability to assert oneself in politics as well as helping realize a worldwide cause devoid of Satan and satanic forces, something that has been vaguely intermingled with a few apocalyptic ideas. An increase in the number of apocalyptic cults together with misunderstandings about various religions and their combinations, and promoting a rationally unacceptable version coupled with their intense tendency towards using environmental, especially biologic factors has led us to address one of the most important and complex dimensions of environmental terrorism. The main objective of this research is to explore the factors creating the tendency towards environmental terrorism, especially using biological factors as well as the identity of its perpetrators. In reality, this research plans to present a personality model of the perpetrators of environmental terrorism. The findings of this research indicate that there are psychological disorders, an apocalyptic and fundamentalist mindset as well as religious motivations for vindictiveness towards secular and non-religious governments on the part of the perpetrators of environmental terrorists.

Keywords


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