Rise and the Fall of Terrorist Organizations in Post-Dictatorial Greece: The Role and the Lessons for the Intelligence Services

摘要

The Greek government unsuccessfully battled leftist terrorist groups from 1975 to 2002, The two most notorious terrorist organizations during this period were the 'November 17' group and another group called, 'Revolutionary People's Struggle,' In 1975, these organizations began a violent campaign against the United States, NATO personnel, Turkish diplomats, and member of the Greek political and business elite, The government's failure to curtail these groups resulted from the enormous belief that these terrorists were not a direct threat to Greek's democracy Fortunately, in June of 2002, with numerous arrests, Greek authorities made substantial progress and apprehended the leaders of the 'November 17'. This thesis examines the nature and the effects of terrorism by focusing on the ideology and activities of these two specific terrorist groups, This thesis also identifies and analyzes the origins of the organizations, reveals how the terrorist situation was created, and examines the causes that led to the inception of these terrorist organizations, Additionally, this thesis interprets the intelligence services in Greece before and after the demise of the Greek military dictatorship in 1974. It also explores how the intelligent community under the watchful eye of Greece's political leadership helped dislodge these terrorist organizations and helped protect and consolidate the fledging democracy.