From the first hijack to the WTC.

November 16, 2001 6:47 AM

From the first hijack to the WTC. The U.S. Department of State Historian gives brief description of significant terrorist incidents from 1961 through 2001. Bush vomiting on the Japanese not included, FYI.
posted by geronimo_rex (11 comments total)

Wow, geronimo_rex: that long list suddenly put things in perspective. Stupidly, I'd yawned over your post, thinking it more-of-the-same; no offense. But, scrolling down, I realized how unsurprising, in the context of things, the WTC attacks were. I feel I blame successive U.S. administrations a lot more than I did before, for not having cottoned on; as it were. Which is probably unfair.But still...it's not exactly as if they had no warning. Yikes! Tax-payers' money, intelligence and all that, right?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 10:25 AM on November 16, 2001

Also interesting: play the "in the name of religion, yes/no?" game on each entry. Ugh.
posted by geronimo_rex at 10:29 AM on November 16, 2001

i didn't see any shining path references... maybe they're not terrorists? i guess it's that tricky freedom frighter def.

looking around i found this FAS site: Liberation Movements, Terrorist Organizations, Substance Cartels, and Other Para-State Entities
posted by kliuless at 11:08 AM on November 16, 2001

assuming this was intended to be terrorism against the U.S. why are attacks in Israel listed as a significant terrorist attacks? I don't remember being a citizen of Israel, and there have certainly been "terrorist" attacks in other countries since 1961.
posted by aLienated at 11:32 AM on November 16, 2001

aLienated, perhaps because there are many, many dual US-Israeli citizens, who may have been victims of those particular attacks. You'll note that they also include the mass-slaughter of praying Palestinians by Baruch Goldstein, the rabid settler and U.S. citizen.
posted by cell divide at 11:34 AM on November 16, 2001

It's not intended to be against the U.S. only, which is one reason I found it interesting. If there is now a "war on terrorism" that has been joined by a "coalition of countries" that includes just about every nation - it's interesting to consider what the war is against.
posted by geronimo_rex at 12:01 PM on November 16, 2001

Naturally they left out the 1985 CIA car bombing in Beirut which killed 80 and injured 200.
posted by euphorb at 12:04 PM on November 16, 2001

euphorb - Yes, this link clearly establishes the CIA as mass-murdering bastards that think it is fun and funny to blow people to pieces, a shocking accusation made believable by the credibility of the author.
posted by geronimo_rex at 12:13 PM on November 16, 2001

Obviously that site has some inflammatory rhetoric but that fact that the CIA did this without the knowledge of the president seems pretty well established.

People say it had the mark of a CIA operation because everyone but the target was killed. I don't believe they would try anything this outragous these days. Or would they just do a better job of covering their tracks? Lets hope that we do the job right this time and this list ends at 2001.
posted by euphorb at 1:13 PM on November 16, 2001

this is a short, short list. this is probably every thing related to small bands using terror. Cambodias genocide aint on there or is that to much terror. like celldivide, Goldsteins murderous rampage is what I noticed that was not up there. That really burned me button. You dont kill people in prayer. I have no love of Islam, but that was terrible. was he not from New York?(from what i can ascertain from my friends, they viewed the act as as act committed by an american.)
posted by clavdivs at 2:51 PM on November 16, 2001

Note the source: Office of the Historian of the U.S. Department of State. "The Office of the Historian is responsible, under law, for the preparation and publication of the official historical documentary record of U.S. foreign policy in the Foreign Relations of the United States series. It researches and writes historical studies on aspects of U.S. diplomacy for use by policymakers in the Department and in other agencies as well for public information."
posted by Carol Anne at 3:32 PM on November 16, 2001