| A variety of conditions from the 1950s onward promoted acts of terrorism in various parts of the world. Opponents of colonialism often used terror because they lacked the power to confront established military forces outright; terrorism in some of these cases grew out of guerrilla warfare tactics. Brutal police responses sometimes encouraged further terror. Left-wing movements of various sorts, particularly after the failure of the 1968 uprisings in Europe, sometimes used terror to dramatize their cause. Terrorist acts included bombing buildings and vehicles; hijacking and planting bombs on airplanes; kidnapping and hostage taking. Major terrorist movements included the Irish Republican Army's attacks on Great Britain; Algerian rebels' campaign against France in the 1950s (with bombings both in Algeria and in France); Arab, particularly Palestinian, attacks on Israelis and Americans after the defeat in the 1967 war (murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics); larger Muslim attacks on the West during the 1980s, with the involvement of governments such as Libya's (explosion of French passenger plane over Africa, 1989; American jet exploded over Scotland, 1988; frequent hostage taking in Lebanon). Antiterrorist measures had some impact, particularly tighter airport inspections. UN action against terrorism was hampered by the frequent unwillingness of communist countries and former colonies to condemn the movements too vigorously. | 1 |
