A terrorist may be motivated by religious fervor, politics, or just plain oldfashioned greed. Terrorism committee executive directorate said that the fact that there was not a universal definition of terrorism presented a challenge. For example, many scholarly definitions of terrorism do not consider attacks against military targets in a combat zone to be terrorism only attacks against civilians or noncombatants. The word is derived from terror, that is, to instil fear, and the suffix ism relates to an ideology be it philosophical, religious or otherwise. Army manual definition terrorism is the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful.
Law enforcement generally recognizes two types of terrorism. What is terrorism, and why we need to define it dr. However, we can categorize acts that are roughly seen as terrorist in nature. A concise means of conveying information that may not warrant booklength elaboration. Scharf, defining terrorism as the peace time equivalent of war crimes. Terrorism definition, the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes. However, certain issues in the definition of terrorism still remain unresolved, some are1. A walking, wisecracking encyclopedia the new york times. Ecoterrorism definition is sabotage intended to hinder activities that are considered damaging to the environment. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Terrorism, the calculated use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective.
Most universally accepted definition there is no universally agreedon definition of terrorism. Terrorism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. While there are many national and regional definitions, there is no universal legal definition approved by the general assembly of the united nations the one. Chapter 9 crimes against the government and terrorism. Start a free trial of quizlet plus by thanksgiving lock in 50% off all year try it free. Whatever the definition becomes, it will still be used to describe intentional acts of violence that are designed to harm or kill citizens in order to intimidate others. Terrorism has come to signify race and religion though everyone is careful not to say so. The main characteristics of acts or threats that constitute terrorism are the same as in the wider definition above, but additional details have been. The world community has struggled with creating a legal definition of terrorism that is globally accepted. Many different types of social or political organizations might use terrorism to try to achieve their goals. Various legal systems and government agencies use different definitions of terrorism. When terrorism is mentioned, the first things people think of are the likes of omar mateen and the 2016 mass murder at the pulse nightclub in orlando, florida, the tsarnaev brothers who executed the boston bombing in 20 or osama bin laden and the others behind the attacks on sept.
The definition of terrorism has proved controversial. There is no agreement on the history of terrorism or about who is and who is not a terrorist. Ecoterrorism definition of ecoterrorism by merriamwebster. The terrorist attack on world trade center and pentagon has given a new dimension to terrorism. Texts on the subject proliferate and no standard work on terrorism can be considered complete without at least an introductory chapter being devoted to this issue.
There is little agreement on a definition of terrorism. Collins english dictionary complete and unabridged. Zeek what is terrorism, and why we need to define it. Wisecracking definition, a smart or facetious remark. Dictionary of terrorism 2nd edition by john richard.
Otherwise for every rule that defines terrorism there is a counter argument. Despite broad consensus that the threat of terrorism needs to be addressed urgently, the positions adopted by individual countries, regional and international organisations have resulted in a patchwork of approaches. Wisecrack definition of wisecrack by merriamwebster. Definition of terrorism social and political effects. Yet terrorism, its definition, causes, and methods of dealing with it, has rarely been dealt with in high school courses. At best, we have a most universally accepted definition of terrorism, which is the following. The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives. Terrorism is a politically motivated crime intended to modify the behavior of a target audience. Wisecracking definition of wisecracking by the free dictionary. Terrorism is the use of fear and acts of violence in order to intimidate societies, governments or against an ideology.
Terrorism is a term that so often appears in the media nowadays that it has become a part of our daily vocabulary. Dealing with terrorism has become the centerpiece of u. The manner, in which the terrorist attack was launched, had shaken the entire world in general and united states of america in particular. It is a word with intrinsically negative connotations that is generally. Various legal systems and government agencies use different definitions. Someone who uses violence, mayhem, and destruction or the threat of those things to coerce people or countries into taking a certain action is a terrorist. Moreover, governments have been reluctant to formulate an agreedupon and legally binding definition. The use of violence or the threat of violence, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political goals.
In an effort to assist teachers in helping their students identify and understand terrorism, the. While alice is through the looking glass she argues with humpty dumpty over his use of the word glory to denote not the usual meanings of the word but a nice knockdown argument. Domestic terrorism is based and executed in the united. These aggrieved groups share two essential characteristics. The context is definition of terrorism and the simple answer is that it is in the eye of the beholder. The numerous federal legal definitions of terrorism. Terrorism definition of terrorism by the free dictionary. Terrorist organizations must have goals that are not enforceable in the ordinary polit ical. Mehannas case is a classic example of the socalled antiterrorism paradigm at work, which is prevent the terrorist act from occurring, said professor boston college law school professor george brown, who teaches national security law. I am not the first person to question the definition and use of this word, but, like most americans, i. In some ways it is a political definition, in other ways a legal one.
When i use a word it means just what i choose it to mean neither more nor less. The revised academic consensus definition of terrorism by alex p. The fbi, in turn, adheres to the definition of terrorism provided in the code of federal. Moreover, the international community has been slow to formulate a universally agreed. In the united states of america, terrorism is defined in. Today the definition of terrorism is very different to how it was perceived in the late 18th century.
Ali khan terrorism sprouts from the existence of aggrieved groups. In the united states, it is broken down into two categories. She says their definition of terrorism is fairly inclusive. Schmid the definition of terrorism terrorism is a contested concept. In their book political terrorism, schmidt and youngman cited 109 different definitions of terrorism. Wisecracker definition of wisecracker by the free dictionary. Terrorism meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. This is no easy task, for, as walter laqueur cautioned, terrorism is dangerous ground for simplificateurs and. While some definitions are precise, others lack important aspects of terrorism e. Our current understanding of terrorism has strayed from its conventional definition. The importance of definitions to top now that the government of the united states of america have decided to rule the world under the slogan of war on terror, the word terrorism has become subject of heated arguments in the same way as the word god was subject of heated arguments at the time of the religious wars of the past 1.
The question of who is a terrorist, according to this school of thought, depends entirely on the subjective outlook of the definer. Difficulties arise from the fact that the term has become politically and emotionally charged. What people mean when they label an attack terrorism vox. Wisecrack definition is a clever or sarcastic remark. Wisecracking meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. There is no universal agreement on the definition of terrorism. Definitions of terrorism are complex and controversial. Terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government or its citizens to further certain political or social objectives. The foundation of modern terrorism is the work of sergey nechayev, a russian radical who developed strategies for carrying. The revised academic consensus definition of terrorism.
The forms of power now being deployed in the war on terrorism in fact. The, a group of over 30 educators and mediators that represent the full range of cultural and political biases, author all of these definitions after careful thought and deliberation. A case of too much convergence between international. For an act to be considered terrorism, it has to be an intentional act or threat of violence that also meets two of three additional. This revised and updated second edition of a major reference work in the area contains definitions and. This is primarily due to diverging views on what constitutes terrorism, as. At that time, in its first ever use of the word terrorism in the oxford english dictionary, terrorism was defined as government by intimidation. In many states, the term terrorist has been conflated with criminal. Antiterrorism definition of antiterrorism by the free. Definitions of terrorism wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Terrorism scholar bruce hoffman writes, on one point, at least, everyone agrees. The international community remains divided over a universally acceptable definition of terrorism.
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