TOPIC Lecture on terrorism (1)

LEVEL Upper intermediate

LANGUAGE PRESENTED Lexis used to describe terrorists and the organisation of

terrorist groups.

SKILLS DEVELOPED Listening/reading/writing

MATERIALS Total pages (10) 7 pages of teacher’s notes, including a

tapescript and 3 pages for students

ESTIMATED TIME 2 lessons x 45 minutes

PRODUCED BY PEP PEMP Group

INSTITUTION/DATE PEP PEMP Group August 2003

SAC or CLASSROOM Classroom

ORIGINAL SOURCE Information taken from US Field Manual on Terrorism.

Listening text created by Eric Atkinson.

TEACHERS' / USERS' NOTES Pre-listening

Discussion on terrorism
Jumbled slides

While-listening
Filling-in activities( table)

Post-listening
Exchanging information on terrorism
Gap filling
True/False exercise

Follow-up
Reading-jumbled paragraphs
Vocabulary-multiple choice exercise
Writing – creating a poster
Piloting Details.
When? Where? Who with?

Produced by the Peacekeeping English Project Special Interest Group in Military English materials
 Listening/Reading/Writing Introduction to Terrorism One: Teacher’s version

Pre-listening

TASK 1. The teacher asks the students to answer the following questions.

ƒ What associations does the word ‘terrorism’ bring to your mind?

ƒ What is your opinion about contemporary terrorism?

ƒ Why do people turn to terrorism?

TASK 2. The teacher tells the students to arrange the slides to create an agenda for a
briefing. Their task is to create a sequence they think it will appear in the listening.

A B

GROUP MEMBER
CONCEPT AND PRACTICE
OF TERRORISM CATEGORIES
GENERAL INTRODUCTION

C D

ORGANISATION TERRORIST

OF TERRORIST GROUPS PROFILE OF A PERSON

1.............. 2.............. 3.............. 4..............

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 Teacher’s version
While listening

TASK 1. The students listen to the text twice and fill in the table below with the key
words or phrases:

1.
Age: 22 –25 Education: well-educated, many of them are
Terrorist profile university graduates
Background: rich middle class/ affluent families
Intention: change the world

2. How terrorists Small cells, no more than 6-10 people, groups contain less than
organize 100 people
themselves Larger groups ( up to 500 ) organized into subgroups

3. Terrorist members

Hardcore Leaders govern groups, establish policy, develop plans, give directions

Active Cadre carry out attacks and orders from the higher command, they are
specialized experts in various fields.

provide logistic support to sustain terrorist operations (e.g. safe

Active Supporters houses, weapons, ammunition, vehicles, medical support, food,
money)

Passive provide money through anonymous giving. Most difficult to define

Supporters and recognize.

Post-listening

TASK 1. The teacher asks the student to exchange the information from the text.

TASK 2. Having listened to an extract of the text the students fill in the gaps.

Typically, terrorists are intelligent, well-educated people, obsessed with initiating a change in
the status quo, that is they are out to change the world. They are usually brought up in
middle class or affluent families, and are usually between 22 to 25 years of age. Did you get
that? I’ll say it again, a terrorist is usually intelligent and well-educated, many of them having
gone to universities. They want to change the world. They grew up in nice, rich middle class
families and they are usually between 22 and 25 years old. Remember that. The ability to
develop a terrorist profile provides a clearer image of the enemy and dispels dangerous
misconceptions. We don’t want you to think that the average terrorist is some kind of super
person. No, mostly they’re just mixed up college kids.

But don’t underestimate them; terrorists are dedicated to their cause - even to the point of
death. They are motivated by religion, prestige, power, political change, or material gain.
Terrorists believe they are an elite society, and act in the name of the people. Their

Produced by the Peacekeeping English Project Special Interest Group in Military English materials
 Teacher’s version

dedication is evident in their education and training, arms and equipment, planning methods,
and ruthless execution. Their dedication makes them a formidable enemy.

TASK 3. The teacher asks the students to read the statements and decide if they are
true or false. They tick T for true and F for false. The students should be ready to
justify their choices.

1.Terrorists are usually illiterate. T/F

2. Many of them are brought up in poor families. T/F
3. They are experienced and between 40 and 45. T/F
4. Active supporters are responsible for planning and carrying out terrorist attacks. T/F
5. Terrorist groups are often small. T/F

Tapescript of Lecture Introducing Terrorism, Part One.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and I see there are a few ladies present. Welcome to
this three-day workshop on Terrorism and how to deal with it. I hope, over the course of the
next three days that you will learn a lot about Terrorism and how to combat it, but I also hope
that you go away having made a few new friends.

Well, that’s enough of the niceties; let’s get on with the first lecture. Well, the first lecture will
just be a general introduction to Terrorism. We will begin by looking at just two things. They
are the typical terrorist profile that is what kind of person is a terrorist, and how terrorists
organise themselves. Have you got that, the terrorist profile and the way terrorists organise
themselves.

So we begin with the terrorist profile. Just exactly what kind of person is a terrorist?

Typically, terrorists are intelligent, well-educated people, obsessed with initiating a change in
the status quo, that is they are out to change the world. They are usually brought up in
middle class or affluent families, and are usually between 22 to 25 years of age. Did you get
that? I’ll say it again, a terrorist is usually intelligent and well-educated, many of them having
gone to universities. They want to change the world. They grew up in nice, rich middle class
families and they are usually between 22 and 25 years old. Remember that. The ability to
develop a terrorist profile provides a clearer image of the enemy and dispels dangerous
misconceptions. We don’t want you to think that the average terrorist is some kind of super
person. No, mostly they’re just mixed up college kids.

But don’t underestimate them; terrorists are dedicated to their cause - even to the point of
death. They are motivated by religion, prestige, power, political change, or material gain.
Terrorists believe they are an elite society, and act in the name of the people. Their
dedication is evident in their education and training, arms and equipment, planning methods,
and ruthless execution. Their dedication makes them a formidable enemy.

Lets move on to how they organise themselves. The thing that decides the shape and
structure of terrorist organisations is their need for security. They have to keep knowledge of
themselves to a minimum. Organization is characterized by small, covert cells, that is little
groups of no more than six to ten people, with little interaction between the cells and tight,
central control held by a few individuals. Most terrorist groups are small, less than 100. There
are larger terrorist groups of up to 500 people, but these larger groups are organized into
subgroups and these smaller groups are subdivided into small functional cells. Only if

Produced by the Peacekeeping English Project Special Interest Group in Military English materials
 Teacher’s version

popular support exists, can large terrorist groups operate freely with far less concern for
security.

Different terrorist groups, small or large, operate under a veil of camaraderie. Terrorists
groups share resources, expertise, and safe havens. Different terrorist groups frequently
participate in joint operations.

This inter-group co-operation is encouraged and supported by sympathetic foreign

governments.

Now, let’s take a look at different terrorist members. Well, we can classify terrorist members
into four groups. These are classified as hardcore leaders, active cadre, active supporter,
and passive supporter.

Now lets take a look at these types. We’ll start with Hardcore leaders. Except for some
anarchist groups, some form of leadership governs all terrorist groups. Leaders establish
policy, develop plans, and give direction. In covert, cellular terrorist organisations, deterring
attacks against the central leadership is priority. Terrorist leaders are the group’s major
vulnerability.

Next we’ll look at the Active Cadre. These are the people who actually carry out terrorist
attacks. They carry out orders given to them from higher commands. The active cadre are an
elite, close-knit group. Their identity and ability are well-guarded secrets. Typically, the active
cadre in one terrorist cell will have only one point of contact within another terrorist cell. Due
to its selective nature, the active cadre's secrecy is relatively easy to ensure. Typically, the
active cadre organises into small cells containing two to six terrorists. Each cell specialises in
a particular tactic or contains experts in various fields. The active cadre also contains the
trainers. Typically, terrorists within a cell are trained bombers, arsonists, or assassins.
Next we’ll take a look at Active Supporters. Active supporters provide the logistic support
needed to sustain terrorist operations. They provide safe houses, weapons, ammunition,
vehicles, medical support, food, and money; that is all the things they need to live on. Active
supporters are also a valuable source of intelligence information. Their day-to-day activities
and low profile enable them to perform various intelligence-gathering activities not possible
by members of the active cadre. Active supporters often come from the professional classes,
such as lawyers, doctors, and businessmen. Active supporters provide a source of
replacement for the active cadre.
Finally we’ll take a look at Passive Supporters. Passive supporters are the most difficult to
define and recognise. They are sympathetic to the cause but fear reprisal if exposed or
identified. Passive supporters may be ignorant to the cause's intent and the use of their
support. They may unwittingly provide money through anonymous giving. Passive support is
extremely important to the politically motivated terrorist who relies on popular support to
survive.
So, there you have it. Now you should have a much better idea of what kind of person a
terrorist is and how terrorists are organised. These are just the basics and we’ll move on to
look at what kinds of activities a terrorist gets up to in our next short lecture.

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 Teacher’s version

Follow – up. Reading/writing

TASK 1. The teacher gives out jumbled text on terrorism and asks the students to
work in pairs and put the paragraphs in a proper order. The places to be cut are
indicated by the dotted lines.

Chapter One. Terrorism Today.

Terrorism is a fact of contemporary life. Although terrorism is not new, it is a new challenge
to our society and way of life. The economic and political power of sovereign nations is
becoming increasingly concentrated in large cities. This concentration enables terrorists to
influence large groups of people in relatively small areas. Modern technology provides the
terrorist with free publicity, lucrative targets, ease of transportation, and advanced weaponry.
Terrorists rely on media coverage to broadcast terrorist events.
...............................................................................................................................................
International transportation affords the terrorist easy travel. Technical advances and
industrialisation present the terrorist with lucrative targets (e.g., power plants, factories).
Modern weapons (e.g., nuclear devices, missiles) offer terrorists the tools for destruction.
..............................................................................................................................................
Terrorist Profile

The terrorist, urban guerrilla, saboteur, revolutionary, and insurgent are often the same
depending upon the circumstance or political view. Although difficult to generalise a terrorist's
character and motivation, a profile has been developed. Typically, terrorists are intelligent,
well-educated, obsessed with initiating a change in the status quo, reared in middle class or
affluent families, and 22 to 25 years of age. The ability to develop a terrorist profile provides
a clearer image of the enemy and dispels dangerous misconceptions.
..............................................................................................................................................
Terrorists are dedicated to their cause - even to the point of death. Terrorists are motivated
by religion, prestige, power, political change, or material gain. Terrorists believe they are an
elite society, and act in the name of the people. Their dedication is evident in their education
and training, arms and equipment, planning methods, and ruthless execution. Their
dedication makes them a formidable enemy.
..............................................................................................................................................
Organisational Structure

Security, more than any other factor, drives the organisational structure of terrorist groups.
Secrecy is essential to success and maintained only through good organisation, leadership,
and support. Organisation is characterised by small, covert cells with little interaction and
tight, central control held by a few individuals. Typically, small terrorist groups are organised
into the functional cells shown in figure 1-1. Larger terrorist groups contain more than 100
people but less than 500. Larger groups are organised into subgroups with built-in functional
cells. If popular support exists, large terrorist groups operate freely with far less concern for
security.
..............................................................................................................................................
Diverse terrorist groups, small or large, operate under a veil of camaraderie. Terrorist groups
share resources, expertise, and safe havens. Different terrorist groups frequently participate
in joint operations.

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 Teacher’s version

Inter-group co-operation is encouraged and supported by sympathetic foreign governments.

Terrorist members are classified as hardcore leaders, active cadre, active supporter, and
passive supporter.
..............................................................................................................................................
a. Hardcore Leaders. Except for some anarchist groups, some form of leadership
governs all terrorist groups. Leaders establish policy, develop plans, and give direction. In
covert, cellular terrorist organisations, deterring attacks against the central leadership is
priority. Terrorist leaders are the group's major vulnerability.

b. Active Cadre. The active cadre carry out orders from higher commands. The active
cadre are an elite, close-knit group. Their identity and ability are well-guarded secrets.
Typically, the active cadre in one terrorist cell will have only one point of contact within
another terrorist cell. Due to its selective nature, the active cadre's secrecy is relatively easy
to ensure. Typically, the active cadre organises into small cells containing two to six
terrorists.
..............................................................................................................................................
Each cell specialises in a particular tactic or contains experts in various fields. The active
cadre also contain the trainers. Typically, terrorists within a cell are trained bombers,
arsonists, or assassins.

c. Active Supporters. Active supporters provide the logistic support needed to sustain
terrorist operations. They provide safe houses, weapons, ammunition, vehicles, medical
support, food, and money. Active supporters are a valuable source of intelligence
information.
..............................................................................................................................................
Their day-to-day activities and low profile enable them to perform various intelligence-
gathering activities not possible by members of the active cadre. Active supporters often
come from the professional classes, such as lawyers, doctors, and businessmen. Active
supporters provide a source of replacement for the active cadre.
..............................................................................................................................................
d. Passive Supporters. Passive supporters are the most difficult to define and recognize.
They are sympathetic to the cause but fear reprisal if exposed or identified. Passive
supporters may be ignorant to the cause's intent and the use of their support. They may
unwittingly provide money through anonymous giving. Passive support is extremely
important to the politically motivated terrorist who relies on popular support to survive.

TASK2. The students are asked to choose the right answer.

1. CONTEMPORARY LIFE

a. modern life b. ancient life c. city life

2. SOVEREIGN NATIONS

a. rich nations b. democratic nations c. independent nations

3. TECHNICAL ADVANCES

a. technical problems b. technical tools c. technical progress

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 Teacher’s version
4. TARGETS

a. markets b. objectives c. trends

5. MISCONCEPTIONS

a. drawbacks b. misunderstandings c. ideas.

6. A CELL

a. an organization unit b. a famous person c. a kind of alcohol

7. TO SUSTAIN OPERATIONS

a. to spoil operations b. to break operations c. to continue operations

8. AN ASSASSIN

a. a kind of murderer b. a kind of politician c. a kind of religious leader

TASK 3. WRITING.

The students are asked to create a poster to be distributed by the police in order to
find a dangerous terrorist. The students use the ideas and vocabulary from the text.

Produced by the Peacekeeping English Project Special Interest Group in Military English materials
 Student’s version

Listening/Reading/Writing Introduction to Terrorism One.

Pre-listening

TASK 1. Answer the following questions.

What associations does the word ‘terrorism’ bring to your mind?

What is your opinion about contemporary terrorism?
Why do people turn to terrorism?

While Listening

TASK 1. Listen to the text twice and fill in the table below with key words or phrases.

1.
Age .....................................................................................
Terrorist profile Education.............................................................................
Background.........................................................................
Intention...............................................................................

2. How terrorists
organise ................................................................................................
themselves ...............................................................................................
.................................................................................................

3. Terrorist members
Hardcore Leaders
................................................................................................
................................................................................................

Active Cadre .................................................................................................

..................................................................................................

Active Supporters
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................

Passive Supporters
....................................................................................................
....................................................................................................

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 Student’s version

Post-listening

TASK 1. Exchange the information you have heard with another student.

TASK 2 Fill in the gaps after listening to some part of the text.

Typically, terrorists are intelligent, well-educated people, .....................initiating a change in

the status quo, that is they are out to change the world. They are usually .....................in
middle class or affluent families, and are usually between 22 to 25 years of age. Did you get
that? I’ll say it again, a terrorist is usually intelligent and well-educated, many of them having
gone to universities. They want to change the world. They grew up in nice, rich
.....................families and they are usually between 22 and 25 years old. Remember that.
The .....................to develop a terrorist profile provides a clearer image of the enemy and
dispels dangerous .....................We don’t want you to think that the average terrorist is some
kind of super person. No, mostly they’re just mixed up college kids.

But don’t .....................them; terrorists are dedicated to their cause - even to the point of
death. They are motivated by religion, ....................., power, political change, or material
gain. Terrorists believe they are an elite....................., and act in the name of the people.
Their .....................is evident in their education and training, arms and equipment, planning
methods, and ruthless execution. Their dedication makes them a .....................enemy.

TASK 3. Read the statements and decide if they are true or false. Tick T for true and F
for false. Be ready to justify their choices.

1.Terrorists are usually illiterate. T/F

2. Many of them are brought up in poor families. T/F
3. They are experienced and between 40 and 45. T/F
4. Active supporters are responsible for planning and carrying out terrorist attacks. T/F
5. Terrorist groups are often small. T/F

Follow – up. Reading/writing

TASK 1. Work in pairs and put the paragraphs given by the teacher in a proper order.

TASK2. Choose the right answer.

1. CONTEMPORARY LIFE

a. modern life b. ancient life c. city life

2. SOVEREIGN NATIONS

a. rich nations b. democratic nations c. independent nations

3. TECHNICAL ADVANCES

a. technical problems b. technical tools c. technical progress

Produced by the Peacekeeping English Project Special Interest Group in Military English materials
 Student’s version
4. TARGETS

a. markets b. objectives c. trends

5. MISCONCEPTIONS

a. drawbacks b. misunderstandings c. ideas.

6. A CELL

a. an organization unit b. a famous person c. a kind of alcohol

7. TO SUSTAIN OPERATIONS

a. to spoil operations b. to break operations c. to continue operations

8. AN ASSASSIN

a. a kind of murderer b. a kind of politician c. a kind of religious leader

TASK 3. WRITING.

Create a poster to be distributed by the police in order to find a dangerous terrorist.

Use the ideas and vocabulary from the text.

Produced by the Peacekeeping English Project Special Interest Group in Military English materials