Storia Del Terrorismo

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Storia Del Terrorismo Andrew Sinclair Storia del terrorismo Dall'antichità alle sette islamiche degli Assassini, dall'IRA alle Torri Gemelle fino alla situazione esplosiva del Medioriente Traduzione di D. Rocca Editing by: comablack Indice generale Introduzione ..........................................................................................................................3 Antichi terrori ........................................................................................................................4 I testi del terrore religioso ......................................................................................................9 L'orrore delle crociate ..........................................................................................................16 Il Vecchio della Montagna ...................................................................................................20 Gli Anabattisti e il millenarismo ..........................................................................................26 Il terrore religioso e le guerre di religione in Francia ...........................................................28 Le bestie e la peste: le origini del bioterrore ........................................................................31 I fuorilegge e la guerriglia ...................................................................................................36 Gli Illuminati e la Rivoluzione francese ..............................................................................43 Il Terrore ..............................................................................................................................47 Le società segrete nazionaliste .............................................................................................51 Arte e letteratura del terrore .................................................................................................57 Terrore nero .........................................................................................................................63 Il terrore e il guerriero .........................................................................................................67 Il culto dei Thug ..................................................................................................................70 Le società segrete in Cina ....................................................................................................78 Gli anarchici ........................................................................................................................81 L'anarchia del Far West .......................................................................................................86 Il Ku Klux Klan ...................................................................................................................89 La Mafia ..............................................................................................................................98 La rivolta irlandese ............................................................................................................108 Il terrore di Stato e i bolscevichi ........................................................................................114 L'insurrezione operaia ........................................................................................................119 Psicologia della guerra mondiale .......................................................................................123 La strada per Barcellona ....................................................................................................131 La mancata rivoluzione in America ...................................................................................137 La vergogna del Giappone .................................................................................................147 Paura, misericordia e annichilimento .................................................................................150 La soluzione finale ............................................................................................................154 Le società segrete africane .................................................................................................158 Le menzogne dei gulag ......................................................................................................162 2 I profughi forzati ................................................................................................................166 La questione della Palestina ...............................................................................................170 I campi di sterminio in Asia ...............................................................................................178 Guevara: nuotando in un mare asciutto ..............................................................................182 La diffusione dell'orrore ....................................................................................................190 Un inutile deterrente ..........................................................................................................196 Terrore etnico .....................................................................................................................200 Il ritorno alla guerra santa ..................................................................................................206 La vendetta dell'Islam ........................................................................................................212 Conto alla rovescia per Kabul ............................................................................................218 Il futuro del terrore ............................................................................................................222 Epilogo ..............................................................................................................................228 3 Introduzione Il libro si intitola Storia del terrorismo anche se, nell'affrontare un argomento tanto vasto ho dovuto selezionare degli argomenti, per poi analizzarne i molteplici aspetti. È emerso che, negli Stati nazionali, quasi tutti coloro che hanno conquistato il potere lo hanno fatto commettendo degli atti terroristici - gli stessi che in seguito li screditarono - e che, solitamente, sono stati giudicati in base alla grandezza dei loro crimini. Ogni paese in guerra, infatti, è colpevole di questo genere di tattiche e la gravità della condanna dipenderà dal numero delle vittime. Quante persone sono state uccise? Come sono state uccise? Quanto hanno sofferto prima di morire? I filosofi del terrorismo, da Machiavelli a Robespierre, da Lenin a Hitler, al fine di arrivare al controllo dello Stato ne propugnarono un uso moderato, sebbene tutti i gruppi terroristici, una volta giunti al governo, siano stati perdonati. Nella ricerca del potere, infatti, il successo lascia pochi nemici. L'orrore dei tempi moderni risiede, però, nelle dimensioni raggiunte dal terrore di Stato, che durante quest'ultimo secolo ha causato il massacro di oltre cento milioni di persone. Nessun resoconto sul terrore può essere esaustivo, ci vorrebbero volumi su volumi. Ho cercato in questo saggio di essere sintetico, sebbene abbia incluso brevi capitoli sulle società clandestine che ne hanno fatto uso per giungere al potere e affermarsi: i Templari, la setta degli Assassini, i Thug, la Mafia e il Ku Klux Klan. Per quanto meno conosciuti degli anarchici e dei bolscevichi, questi esempi sono, a mio avviso, più illuminanti e degni di menzione. Ho cercato di controbilanciare la storia del terrore orientale con quella occidentale, anche se l'attuale guerra globale contro il terrorismo è focalizzata verso il Sol Levante e la Mezza Luna. I dieci principi del terrore emersi sono i seguenti: Il terrore è guerra con mezzi estremi. Il terrore è la linfa vitale della tirannia. Il terrore è l'arma del fuorilegge contro l'oppressore. Il terrore è omicidio a buon mercato. Il terrore è la frusta sulla schiena dei rifugiati. Il terrore è vittoria rubata dai pochi. Il terrore è sconfitta per le masse codarde. Se siamo preda del terrore, possiamo diventare terribili contro chi ci ha terrorizzati. Il terrore si misura in proporzione alle vittime provocate, non in merito alla sua causa. Tollerare il terrore non è una virtù. 4 Antichi terrori Nell'antico mito greco, il terrore era visto come uno strumento di potere. Si narra che la scellerata Medea avesse convinto le figlie del re Pelia ad uccidere il padre accoltellandolo e facendolo bollire nel calderone della "rigenerazione" e che, successivamente, avvelenò un pretendente al trono di Corinto per favorire suo marito Giasone, che aveva condotto gli Argonauti al Vello d'Oro. Arrivò persino a servire i figli smembrati in pasto al marito che l'aveva tradita con una principessa di Tebe che, a sua volta, fu spazzata via da una sorta di antesignano "celestiale" del napalm. Si narra inoltre che lo stesso Zeus fosse innamorato di Medea, una donna tanto spietata da divenire un modello per l'antica società greca. La distruzione delle due più importanti città dell'epoca, Troia e Cartagine, è narrata in tre grandi poemi, l'Iliade, l'Odissea e l'Eneide, dove l'epica trasforma la leggenda in storia. Ciò che maggiormente affascina in Omero è la sua narrazione dell'invasione greca dell'Asia Minore, dove vengono rivelate le crudeltà e i tradimenti che si consumavano nelle società dell'Età del Bronzo. Donne e ragazzi venivano violentati e schiavizzati e i traditori lapidati, mentre
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