Definition of Terrorism

Now that the U.S. has declared “War on Terror,” many definitions and ideas of what terrorism is have formulated in writing. I’m sure the governments define terrorism in certain ways that suite themselves. But, I will do my best to define terrorism as what I believe it to be without any other influences but my conscience.

To define terrorism, we can first say that it is an act of violence towards a person or group of people. However, it is not just any act of violence. What about common crimes or even accidents? Under this definition, we can say that murder is an act of terrorism. But should murder be considered terrorism? Instead, we can define terrorism as “An act of violence aimed towards a person or group of people used to intimidate others.” I guess intimidation can occur through murders or accidents, so we should add the “intention to create terror” into our definition. And usually, the groups targeted for intimidation are political groups, governments, or societies. So now the definition stands at “An act of violence aimed towards a person or group of people used to create terror and intimidate others such as political groups, governments, or societies.”

However, this definition brings us to another problem. Killing doesn’t necessarily denote a corrupt or immoral act. One can be put in jail for intentionally killing someone. An example of this is murder. But on the other hand, someone can also be rewarded for killing. This can happen in such places as the army where removing someone could save more lives. Now we must include the morality of the action. “An immoral act of violence aimed towards a person or group of people with the intention of creating terror and intimidating others such as political groups, governments, or societies.

If we think about this now, it seems to be just about right. But, if one country attacks another country, is that considered terrorism? Or is this considered war? It would be considered war. Again, we need to add to our definition. If established governments engaging in these types of acts are not war, then what kind of groups would make it terrorism? Perhaps the definition could now read “An immoral act of violence not by an established government aimed towards a person or group of people with the intention of creating terror and intimidating others such as political groups, governments, or societies.”

Despite the already long definition, it still needs more boundaries to be clearly defined. Terrorism does not have to be politically focused, but it often may be. Terrorism can be religiously or culturally motivated as well. I think that an act like a bombing would still be considered terrorism even if the attackers are not motivated by anything but their own boredom. So the act does not have to be motivated by anything in particular. We can now define terrorism as “An immoral act of violence, often motivated by politics, culture, or religion, not by an established government aimed towards a person or group of people with the intention of creating terror and intimidating others such as political groups, governments, or societies.”

Does terrorism have to attack people? Can it be an attack to destroy other things such as property? Terrorism can target things other than people. Actually, I think most terrorist attacks are meant to destroy things other than people. Most targets are items that would hurt the enemy even more than losing people (which sounds impossible.) For example, icons or important places that work the economy are targeted because they are difficult or impossible to rebuild. Now we must change the act to be against people or property. This would now make the definition “An immoral act, often motivated by politics, culture, or religion, of violence not by an established government aimed towards people or property with the intention of creating terror and intimidating others such as political groups, governments, or societies.”

Now our definition is about right. It includes acts immoral acts like suicide bombings and the acts that took place on September 11th. The definition includes these acts while it excludes events like murdering and vandalism. Though it is nearly impossible to fully define terrorism without leaving gaps or at least some uncertainty, I feel that my definition is rather strong and clear.