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Definition: terrorism from Philip's Encyclopedia

Use of violence, sometimes indiscriminately, against persons and property for the nominal purpose of making a political statement. Intending to inspire terror, terrorists act principally in the name of empowering political minorities, and to publicize perceived political grievances.


TERRORISM

From Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent Crime
The popular concept of terrorism in the earliest years of the 21st century is often confined to acts of suicide bombings or other attacks on civilians perpetrated by enraged religious or political fanatics in the Middle East or in other locales in which these attacks receive extraordinary media coverage. However, terrorism as a political phenomenon is much older and much more diverse than the lead stories on the nightly television news might indicate. The functional origins of terrorism have been lost to history, but it is known that terrorism was used to achieve either military or political ends as early as the Roman Empire. Terrorism by definition is the use of lethal martial force against civilians in the expectation of tactical or strategic victory. In its tactical use, terrorism achieves a specific short-term objective but in its strategic aspects also functions as a tool of psychological warfare that lingers at the fringes of human memory (especially for the victims) such that…
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Full text Article Terrorism

From Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict Full text Article Contents by Subject Area
History, Concept, and Problem of Definition Modern Terrorism The Future Further Reading Glossary Assassins (Ismaili-Nizari,Fedayeen 1090–1275) An early Islamic millenarian terrorist group that maintained a state as the launching pad and sanctuary for international assaults. When Tamerlane destroyed…
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Full text Article terrorism

From Encyclopedia of Intelligence & Counterintelligence
According to Field Manual 100-20 , the U.S. Department of Defense defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of—or threatened use of—force or violence against individuals or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies, often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives.” As…
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Full text Article terrorism

From Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology
Despite renewed efforts by official organizations and academic scholarship to define terrorism in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, there does not yet exist a single, consensual, widely shared definition. As a term of political discourse, terrorism usually implies a value judgment equivalent to…
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Full text Article Terrorism

From World of Sociology, Gale
The United States has experienced numerous acts...
The word “terrorism” originated during the Reign of Terror in revolutionary France in the late eighteenth century. The Oxford English Dictionary first defined terrorism as “government by intimidation as carried out by the party in power in France during the Revolution of 1789-1797.” However, the…
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Full text Article terrorism

From The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style
The word terrorism is inherently partisan, and characterizing a violent act as an instance of terrorism usually entails siding with an established government. If soldiers in a standing army commit an egregious act of violence against civilians, it is usually called an atrocity, not an act of…
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Full text Article terrorism

From Encyclopedia of Terrorism
While it has not been possible, yet, to create a universally acceptable definition of “terrorism,” it is both possible and necessary to specify certain features common to the phenomenon. This, in turn, makes it feasible to create an operational definition of this term. Acts possessing all of these…
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Full text Article Terrorism

From SAGE Key Concepts Series: Key Concepts in International Relations
CORE QUESTIONS ADDRESSED What makes terrorism a highly contested concept in International Relations? What are the central theoretical approaches towards analysing terrorism? How do the United Nations seek to combat terrorism in the twenty-first century? DEFINITIONS Since the start of the new…
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Full text Article TERRORISM

From Dictionary of Policing
‘Terrorism’ is most commonly used to describe ‘revolutionary’ or sub-state violence for political ends. Terrorists seek to raise – through the ‘propaganda of the deed’ – public consciousness of their own cause and also to provoke their state opponents into over-reaction and public alienation. An…
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Full text Article terrorism

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
the threat or use of violence, often against the civilian population, to achieve political or social ends, to intimidate opponents, or to publicize grievances. The term dates from the Reign of Terror (1793–94) in the French Revolution but has taken on additional meaning in the 20th cent. Terrorism…
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Full text Article Terrorism

From Encyclopedia of World Trade: From Ancient Times to the Present Full text Article A-Z Entries
Like many other illegal and political activities, terrorism affects trade on several levels. Terrorism, like war and other forms of violence, strongly affects the pattern of trade. Countries that are plagued by a larger number of terrorist attacks trade significantly less than similar countries that…
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