operative - a person secretly employed in espionage for a government
intelligence agent, intelligence officer, secret agent
agent - a representative who acts on behalf of other persons or organizations
agent-in-place - an operative serving as a penetration into an intelligence target
agent provocateur, provocateur - a secret agent who incites suspected persons to commit illegal acts
bridge agent - an operative who acts as a courier or go-between from a case officer to a secret agent in a hostile area
case officer - an operative who also serves as an official staffer of an intelligence service
codetalker, windtalker - a secret agent who was one of the Navajos who devised and used a code based on their native language; the code was unbroken by the Japanese during World War II
foot - a member of a surveillance team who works on foot or rides as a passenger
NOC - an undercover agent who is given no official cover
spy, undercover agent - (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors
walk-in - an operative who initiates his own defection (usually to a hostile country) for political asylum
2. operative - someone who can be employed as a detective to collect information
private detective, private eye, private investigator, shamus, sherlock, PI
detective - an investigator engaged or employed in obtaining information not easily available to the public
hotel detective, house detective, house dick - a private detective employed by a hotel or retail store
inquiry agent - a private detective
store detective - a private detective employed by a merchant to stop pilferage
Adj. 1. operative - being in force or having or exerting force; "operative regulations"; "the major tendencies operative in the American political system"
inoperative - not working or taking effect; "an inoperative law"
2. operative - relating to or requiring or amenable to treatment by surgery especially as opposed to medicine; "a surgical appendix"; "a surgical procedure"; "operative dentistry"
surgical
3. operative - effective; producing a desired effect; "the operative word"
significant, important - important in effect or meaning; "a significant change in tax laws"; "a significant change in the Constitution"; "a significant contribution"; "significant details"; "statistically significant"
4. operative - (of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing; "in running (or working) order"; "a functional set of brakes"
working, functional, running
functioning - performing or able to perform its regular function; "a functioning flashlight"
"Terrorist" is a word used so often and so loosely that it has lost a clear meaning.
This is a proposal to lend some clarity to the definition, and thus hopefully to the use, of the word "terrorist."
Currently, the term "terrorist" is applied to the use of force most often on the basis of whether the speaker agrees with the goal of the violence. Hence the expression "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."
Alternatively, or sometimes even in conjunction with the foregoing, some people condemn any violence by a non-governmental entity -- whatever the target -- as terrorism, and approvingly label any action by a sovereign country's military forces -- again, whatever the target -- as "military strikes" or the like.
In determining whether an act is "terrorist" or not, it would be more useful to eliminate subjective evaluations of the goals of the violence, and instead, utilize two other factors -- the expected result of the violence, and the nature of the actor -- to then distinguish among four different types of acts involving the application of force:
Expected result of the violence: Let's define a "terrorist" action as the use of violence where one would reasonably expect harm to innocent civilians. This is to be distinguished from a "military" action, where the use of violence is not reasonably expected to harm innocent civilians.
Nature of the actor: A "state" action would be one conducted by a sovereign government. A "guerrilla" action will be one conducted by a non-governmental entity.
Four different types of violent acts: Hence, we can have both state military actions and state terrorist actions. Likewise, there can be both guerrilla military actions and guerrilla terrorist actions.
Under these definitional guidelines, if a country sends its bombers to destroy the water system or other civilian infrastructure of another nation, this would be a state act of terrorism, because harm to civilians would reasonably be expected to result. On the other hand, if a country sends its bombers to attack military airfields of its enemy, that would be a state military action.
Similarly: if a group fighting to overthrow a government or end an occupation by a foreign power sends a suicide bomber to blow up a civilian pizzeria, this would be a guerrilla act of terrorism. In contrast, if such a group sends a small boat filled with explosives to blow up a military vessel, that would be a guerrilla military action.
While these definitional results may stick in the craw of some, the value is that the killing of innocents will be condemned equally no matter who does it, and for however allegedly wonderful the ends sought.
Some may correctly point out that even striking a military airfield may kill some civilians who happen to be on the base, and that is true. But similarly, a guerrilla group blowing up a military vessel may also kill some civilians who happen to be on board. As with all definitions, a bit of common sense has to be applied.
And again, since no subjective evaluations of the validity of often complex socio-political goals are involved in applying these definitions, the level at which likely or actual harm to civilians would trigger the "terrorist" label can be applied evenly to both governmental and non-governmental actors.
Moreover, by not allowing the use of the term "terrorist" to be used as an "argument-closed" condemnation of guerrilla military actions, those discussing the situation will be forced to debate the merits or not of the goals of the guerrillas, not hide behind an inappropriate labeling of the guerrilla's tactics.
At the same time, guerrilla forces committing atrocities against civilians will be appropriately labeled "terrorists" and would not be able to deny being terrorists because of the alleged validity of their goals.
All in all, then, these suggested definitions would tend to force the parties involved to focus on avoiding harm to civilians, and to deal with the real issues at stake in their disputes -- two results I hope most people would welcome.
Definition of Terrorist
Female terrorist killed in Doda
JAMMU, April 19: Close on the heels of the revelations made by the Army chief General Deepak Kapoor recently that women terrorists were being given training on the other side of the Line-of-Control in Kashmir to infiltrate into India for destabilizing the country during the general elections 2009,a women militant belonging to Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) militant outfit was killed in a joint operation by police, Army and para-military inside a house at village Bagla in Bharat area of Doda district in Jammu yesterday.
Identified as Zahida Bano, 22, daughter of Ahmedu, a resident of Bagla, this woman militant was an operative-cum-paramour of LeT militants operating in the area and was seriously injured in an encounter with police and security forces at Bagla. In this operation, two Lashkar commanders Nisar alias Shehbaz and Khubair were also killed.
On the basis of informtion provided by two over ground workers including a brother of this female militant, an operation was launched and two LeT militants involved in a series of terror activities across Doda district were killed.But this women operative was seriously injured in the encounter. She later succumbed to her injuries in District Hospital, Doda where she was evacuated after the gun-battle, said Mr Hemant Kumar Lohia, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Doda.
Through all these years, there were reports that Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed have recruited women cadres and giving them proper training in the terrorist training camps in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
Though the role of women in political and public life in Kashmir has almost been negligible, yet during the initial phase of militancy (1989-94) when there was a mass uprising, women would lead the protest demonstrations against the Union government and were often seen leading the mass agitations.
Though in the past 19 years of conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, the women never picked up gun actively like men,yet in the past couple of years, there has been an increase in the number of women helping terrorists.
Many women have been arrested by security forces for transporting arms and explosives, hawala money and providing information to the militants about movement of security forces. General Kapoor recently apprehended that these women were being trained on the other side to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir and it was quite possible that women may be involved in giving directions to the terrorists.
Zahina Bano has become only the third female militant operative to be killed and second in Doda district in about two decades long militancy in the State.
Prior to this, Samreena Bano, a dental technician and an active LeT militant, was shot dead by police and security forces on 29 May, 2008. n Kavita Suri
The Statesman