Eliminating Terrorism

The word ‘terrorism’ can be traced back to the French Revolution and the reign of terror committed against the population of France in the 1790s. During this time, thousands of people were killed and the general population was severely oppressed. Also, some of the first instances of terrorist tactics, such as assassination and intimidation, were witnessed in the killing of prominent officials and other opponents of the Revolution. In general, terrorists aim to incite fear in the population through pre-meditated violent acts and gain publicity as a medium in achieving their goals. Such acts include taking hostages, bombings and assassinations, all of which create fear and compliance in a victim or audience. Terrorism can be distinguished from other types of political violence through its disregard for and intentional harming of innocent civilians. Also, terrorists usually adopt a state of mind where one side is always good and any opposition is bad and deserves to be punished. As a result, terrorists will always have some supporters who share the same radical thoughts as them and thus terrorism, as a whole, will always be accepted as a legitimate use of violence. This is the reasoning behind the famous phrase by Gerald Seymour, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”(QUOTE

Terrorism is defined as an act of violence that is committed by an organization or a single person in order to be heard. Terrorist acts are usually based on a couple factors such as, historical grievances, foreign policy decision, poverty, and religion. Terrorism is not a new act amongst the world but something that has been around since the beginning. To understand a criminal you must think like a criminal, and understand why they committed a crime or a violent act, then you can prevent and conquer.

Terrorism is an act of violence, usually done in the public sphere, which is used to incite fear in a population in order to coerce change in public opinion or a government’s position on an issue. In many parts of the world, groups wage war with their countries, either to separate from the government or to overthrow it entirely. Sometimes these people are treated unfairly by their government, and their struggles are justified. Other times, these groups use violence against both military and civilian targets, terrorizing innocent bystanders to get what they want—these groups are terrorists. Often, though, it is difficult to tell the difference.

They elucidate that terrorism is a “premeditated, politically motivated, violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups of clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience,” (National Institute of Justice).

The word “terrorism” was first used during the French Revolution when British statesman Edmond Burke used the term to describe the actions of the Jacobin-dominated French government. Under the leadership of Maximilien Robespierre, thousands of people that were said to be enemies of the state were put on trial and then executed by use of the guillotine (O 'Connor, 2006). However, since the inception of the word, it has taken on a new meaning. One can now hear the word “terrorism” and be overcome by anger or even fear. Terrorism now seems to have turned to attacks against a government rather

As stated in our textbook, terrorism is defined as, “The use or threat of violence to create terror in others, usually for political purposes” (Ember 299). Most often, when individuals hear the word, they think of September 11, 2001, the fateful day that changed our country. Since that day, it seems as if the word “terrorism” has become a common term used by newscasters, politicians, and everyday individuals alike. The concept and fear associated with “terrorism” has seemingly dominated the lives of Americans—and other individuals—since, implying that there was a time before 2001 where terrorism wasn’t as prevalent or didn’t exist. However, this certainly is not true because terrorism is not a new concept at all. As stated by our textbook,

Due to its changing nature and different political viewpoints, terrorism is hard to define. Most definitions tend to include some form of fear created through an act of violence. While violence is the tactic, the goal is fear which will serve to create a desired change as a result. However, this definition has not always been appropriate for terrorism. Take for instance the words of Edmund Burke, a British philosopher, who described the situation in France in the 18th century French Revolution as a “Reign of Terror,” (White, Jonathan. 2013. "Defining Terrorism in Modern History." In Terrorism and Homeland Security 3-27, Wadsworth Centage Learning pp 7). In this time period terrorism was a word of the people in describing the brutal tactics of the government which were meant to keep the people in line. Because one time period is looking at

Terrorism can be defined different ways by different people. “Terrorism is violence- or the threat of violence used to achieve a political goal” (Terrorism 1), that was Opposing Viewpoint’s definition of terrorism. Opposing Viewpoints says that [Terrorism] “differs

Terrorism is a significant and recurring situation that has changed the lives of people around the world, overwhelming them with fear and uncertainty of their future. It has become part of our daily lives today as we are still fighting wars to resolve many of the issues that began with the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Terrorism does not have a definitive definition but must meet certain conditions for it to be considered terrorism. There has to be a reason for an act that is deemed political, and it must affect the lives of innocent people, putting a sense of fear into them (Combs, Slann, “Terrorism”). Not only may the reason behind an act be political, but it could also be seen as religious as well (Sterba). Since the 9/11 attacks, terrorism

Terrorism is referred by a criminal act which influences someone beyond the immediate victim, and commits an act of violence that draws the attention of the population, government, and the world (Terrorism research). Goodman explains that Terrorists explode the values they claim to fight. Their victims’ blood blurs and blots whatever ends were meant to justify the carnage (Goodman, 2010, p. 89) We all remember September 11, 2001 and how many innocent lives and people where effected, and that that is what they aim for. The more devastating the damage, the more inhumane, the more avidly is it sought by the strategist, ideologues, and theologians of terror (Goodman, 2010, p. 90).

What is terrorism? Although, it is simple to say that a terrorist is a person who inflicts terror onto people some people often confuse the, true, definition of a terrorist with the one portrayed in the media. In the media, the definition of a terrorist is often altered. The alterations of what a terrorist is changed from a person who commits acts of terror in pursuit of political aims into people with brown skin and Hijabs completing everyday tasks. These misconceptions have lead to racism and sexism among the citizens in the United States. The true definition of a terrorist is “a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in pursuit of political aims.” The definition is simple, but the fact is some

The word terrorism has different interpretations depending on the specific threats that the governments face and the problems that they want to combat. In some historical periods terrorism has had a positive image, associated with democratization, self-determination, and struggle against oppression, while in others it has had an eminently negative image related to indiscriminate violence against the population and the threat against national and international systems. In these modern times terrorism is domination through terror, is to have control with violent acts whose purpose is to infuse fear. Terrorism seeks to coerce and pressure governments or society to impose their claims and proclamations.

Terrorism in the twenty-first century has some similarities and differences from terrorism in the twentieth century. Terrorism is, in its broadest sense, the use or threatened use of violence in order to achieve a political, religious, or ideological aim. Also useful to remember that because the two entities involved, the terrorists and the terrorized, are on the opposite end of the political, religious or ideological continuum, the same act is viewed by them differently. There is much sense in the phrase one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.

Since 1994, the United Nations General Assembly has condemned terrorist actions by stating, "Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them” (U.N.G.A., 2014; Schmid, 2011). The concept of terrorism goes back much further than that, however. The term “terrorism” began to be introduced to the English language during the Reign of Terror from 1793-94, at the time of the French

Think of the word terrorism. What is the first thing that comes to mind? One might think of kidnapping, assassination, bombing, or even genocide and guerrilla warfare. Because it is such a broad and complex issue, an all-encompassing definition is hard to formulate. The United States Department of Defence defines terrorism as…