The Definition of Terrorism

Throughout the past two decades, terrorism as played an increasingly significant role in determining the foreign policies and state security protocols of every country. According to RAND Worldwide Terrorism Incident Database, there have been an estimated 36,000 terrorist incidents since 1972. Terrorists and terror organizations seek various goals through often-violent attacks, while every country shares the damaging consequences of these attacks. Although countries share the common problem of terrorism they define the term "terrorism" differently.

In Louise Richardson's book "What Terrorists Want," she simply states "Terrorism simply means deliberately and violently targeting civilians for political purposes," (Richardson, 6). In addition to the definition she includes seven characteristics of terrorism:

1) Politically inspired

2) Physical violence or the threat of physical violence

3) Sends a political message

4) Act and victim usually have a symbolic significance

5) Perpetrated by sub-state groups

6) Victim and intended audience not the same

7) Deliberately targets civilians

Richardson broadly defines terrorism so that the term can be applied to every form of terrorism. On the other hand, governments and governmental agencies have more concise definitions. For instance, the U.S. State Department defines terrorism as "Premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents, (Title 22 of the United States Code, Section 2656f(d)).

More broadly is the Department of Defense Dictionary of Military Terms definition, which states that terrorism is: "The calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.

Overseas, the European Union defines terrorism as "...given their nature or context, may seriously damage a country or an international organisation where committed with the aim of: seriously intimidating a population; or unduly compelling a Government or international organisation to perform or abstain from performing any act; or seriously destabilising or destroying the fundamental political, constitutional, economic or social structures of a country or an international organization."

While western countries primarily share alike definitions, other countries question whether the term 'terrorism" is being applied accurately. In the case of the ongoing Palestinian and Israeli Conflict, countries in West and the Middle East differ on whether Hamas attacks on Israel are considered terrorism or armed resistance.

For example during a U.N. General Assembly session in 2001, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher explained: "The difference between terrorism and armed resistance is clear, and you cannot mix between the two. People under occupation have the right, according to international conventions and the United Nations Charter, to struggle against the occupying power. But Israel is trying to mix the two [resistance and terrorism], and, therefore, some feel the necessity of reaching a definition of terrorism."

The book "Bounding the Global War on Terrorism" by Jeffery Record, revealed that there are 109 definitions of terrorism available. To compare all 109 definitions and chose the best one would be exhaustive and unnecessary. One source I came across during my research that provided recognition of this problem was the FBI, which stated: "There is no single, universally accepted definition of terrorism. Terrorism is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations as "...the unlawful use of force and 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," (28 C.F.R. Section 0.85).

Works Cited:

Abdelaty, Soha. "Al-Ahram Weekly | Egypt | The issue is definition." Al-Ahram Weekly | Front Page. Al-Ahram. 19 Jan. 2009 .

Council Framework Decision on Combating Terrorism. Rep. no. 2002/475/JHA. 13 June 2002. Official Journal of the European Communities. 19 Jan. 2009 .

"FBI Definition of." Terrorism. 19 Jan. 2009 .

"RAND | ISE | Projects | Worldwide Terrorism Incident Database." RAND Corporation Provides Objective Research Services and Public Policy Analysis. 19 Jan. 2009 .

Record, Jeffery. Bounding the Global War on Terrorism. Minneapolis: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College Commandant (AWCC-DSI/Publications), 2003.

Richardson, Louise. What Terrorists Want : Understanding the Enemy, Containing the Threat. New York: Random House, 2006.

"Terrorism." DTIC Online. 19 Jan. 2009 .