ATS1701 Terrorism and political violence: An introduction

Objectives

To provide an overview of the some of the main conspiracy theories surrounding the 9/11 attacks;

To provide an overview of the different currents within the 9/11 Truth Movement;

To develop an understanding of why individuals questioned the veracity of the 9/11 Commission’s report, and subsequently how the report led to further lack of trust and legitimacy in the US Government;

To interrogate and critically assess some of the major flaws in the 9/11 Truth Movement’s arguments;

To identify some of the main relationships between conspiracy theories and terrorism, and the impact of conspiracy theories on democratic states.

Central Arguments I

There was a great deal of conflicting information surrounding the 9/11 attacks. This constitutes a major consequence of the media age, and can be partially considered to be a reason why some of the conspiracy theories exist;

The US Government’s protocols were often faulty and/or some individuals made crucial mistakes which exacerbated the damage;

Key events and processes contributed to mistrust about the 9/11 attacks;

The 9/11 Commission report and the revelations about the war in Iraq led to mistrust towards the US Government;

Central Arguments II

Conspiracy communities saw the 9/11 attacks within the contexts of their pre-existing belief systems (Barkun’s improvisational approach);

The 9/11 Truth Movement, while critical of the US Government is a non-violent entity;

Superseded knowledge and cumulative retrospective delegitimation are important factors in 9/11 conspiracies

Conspiracy theories can have damaging impact within democratic states, reducing levels of trust and legitimacy.