What is Terrorism?

Terrorism is a difficult, contentious and highly emotional subject that is not easy to define, let alone study. We can say, however, that it is a particular kind of political violence that is usually associated with the use, or threat of use of violent behavior to achieve political ends. Although terrorism can be, and often is, perpetrated by States, the term is most frequently associated with non-state entities seeking to overthrow or effectively destabilize a regime.

The use of terrorism is not a new phenomenon. In fact its first uses can be traced back thousands of years. Nor is terrorism associated with one particular kind of ideology or movement. While terrorism is always political in nature, it can often be expressed in terms of nationalist, religious, or some other ideological expression.

Victim qualities are central to how we think about terrorism, as well as heavily influencing our reactions to those who engage in terrorism. Although it can often be difficult to distinguish terrorism from other kinds of political violence, an undeniable defining characteristic of terrorism is that it often involves the deliberate targeting of civilians as the immediate means towards the ultimate objectives of the terrorist movement.

Another key feature of terrorism is that it is a form of psychological warfare. Though the casualties incurred by terrorist attacks are often relatively lower in number than those killed in civil wars or other regional conflicts, terrorist movements often engage in carefully calculated attempts to exploit the reactions of their audiences – a common strategy of terrorists is to provoke an over-reaction (frequently involving excessive measures by governments challenged by terrorists) from the end target in an attempt to undermine its morality and legitimacy while simultaneously increasing support for terrorists among their sympathizers.

Academics, legal professionals and policymakers around the world continue to struggle to reach consensus on the definition of terrorism.

For further reading, see:

Ganor, Boaz. 2005. Defining Terrorism: Is One Man’s Terrorist Another Man’s Freedom Fighter? The International Institute for Counterterrorism.
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Hoffman, Bruce. 2006. Inside Terrorism (2nd Edition). New York: Columbia University Press.

Horgan, John. 2005. The Psychology of Terrorism. New York: Routledge.

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page last revised March 27, 2008