Terrorism

Terrorism is a method of combat in which random or symbolic victims serve as an instrumental audience. The direct victims are used as an incidental means to produce terror and fear in the primary target, which is the society at large. The term was coined in the French Revolution and has become a part of our everyday vocabulary.

Definition

The term terrorism is politically and emotionally charged, and this greatly compounds the difficulty of providing a precise definition. Studies have found over 100 definitions of "terrorism". The concept of terrorism may itself be controversial as it is often used by state authorities to delegitimize political or other opponents, and potentially legitimize the state's own use of armed force against opponents.

History

The French word "terrorisme" is derived from the Latin verb terrere meaning "to frighten". The terror cimbricus was a panic and state of emergency in Rome in response to the approach of warriors of the Cimbri tribe in 105 BCE. The Jacobins cited this precedent when imposing a Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.

Types of Terrorism

There are many different types of terrorism, with many classifications available in scholarly literature. Some commonly used typologies include the following:

• Political terrorism - Violent criminal behaviour designed primarily to generate fear in the community, or substantial segment of it, for political purposes.
• Non-Political terrorism - Terrorism that is not aimed at political purposes but which exhibits "conscious design to create and maintain a high degree of fear for coercive purposes, but the end is individual or collective gain rather than the achievement of a political objective."
• Quasi-terrorism - The activities incidental to the commission of crimes of violence that are similar in form and method to genuine terrorism but which nevertheless lack its essential ingredient.

Counter-terrorism

Counter-terrorism (also spelled counterterrorism), also known as antiterrorism, incorporates the practice, military tactics, techniques, and strategy that government, military, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or prevent terrorism.

See also

• War on Terror
• Domestic terrorism
• Cyberterrorism
• Bioterrorism

References

Terrorism Resources
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