What Is Terrorism?

[jeffpugh]

I didn't read this thread, because it will probably be monotonous and Hassan just sayin "iunno", but I can tell you we can all agree on the fact that terrorism is a "bad" thing, and that the root is "terror", there has to be some sort of fear involved, otherwise why call it [i]terror[/i]ism?

[kujo]

[quote name='Saint Therese' post='1749918' date='Jan 13 2009, 12:08 AM']Terrrorism is basically acts of war committed by people who aren't agents of a particular government but of an organization. These acts of war are usually performed by people not wearing uniforms, and attacking non conventional targets such as civilians,etc. These acts are calculated to cause maximum amounts of terror, fear and chaos. Generally these acts of terror are contrived to be "surprise" attacks, with little or no warning.[/quote]

What about state-sponsored terrorism, or the atrocities of the Stalin regime?

Can terrorism take the form of the intangible--fear, intimidation, actions that aren't quite as overt?

I think your definition is slightly myopic.

Edited January 13, 2009 by kujo

[Tinkerlina]

[quote name='kujo' post='1750330' date='Jan 13 2009, 05:09 PM']What about state-sponsored terrorism, or the atrocities of the Stalin regime?

Can terrorism take the form of the intangible--fear, intimidation, actions that aren't quite as overt?

I think your definition is slightly myopic.[/quote]

I certainly believe governments can become agents of terror through inciting fear-that's basically how all unjust governments operate. -Katie

[kujo]

[quote name='Tinkerlina' post='1751680' date='Jan 15 2009, 12:08 AM']I certainly believe governments can become agents of terror through inciting fear-that's basically how all unjust governments operate. -Katie[/quote]

Actually, if you think about it, at least from a Hobbesian perspective, [i]all[/i] governments operate on the presumption of fear. That's why they receive their mandate: the world is a dark, scary place and the people need some sort of arbiter to protect them from it. Now, in our more civilized time, the government exists and we rarely ask why. But it still holds true that, at least from this perspective, fear is the basis for the creation of the government.

[cmotherofpirl]

THis is terrorism:
[url="http://idfspokesperson.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/intelmaps1.jpeg"]http://idfspokesperson.files.wordpress.com...in
telmaps1.jpeg://http://idfspokesperson.files.wordpr...n
telmaps1.jpeg[/url]

White stars in red circles - rocket/mortar launchers
Yellow lines - civilian buildings
Red lines - hamas installations
Red triangles - bunkers
Yellow triangles - hidden positions
Blue triangles - rigged explosives
Grey triangles -tunnels
Purple triangles - obstacles

[kujo]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1755510' date='Jan 19 2009, 04:32 PM']THis is terrorism:
[url="http://idfspokesperson.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/intelmaps1.jpeg"]http://idfspokesperson.files.wordpress.com...in
telmaps1.jpeg://http://idfspokesperson.files.wordpr...n
telmaps1.jpeg://http://idfspokesperson.files.wordpr...n
telmaps1.jpeg[/url]

White stars in red circles - rocket/mortar launchers
Yellow lines - civilian buildings
Red lines - hamas installations
Red triangles - bunkers
Yellow triangles - hidden positions
Blue triangles - rigged explosives
Grey triangles -tunnels
Purple triangles - obstacles[/quote]

No....that is a map.

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='kujo' post='1755517' date='Jan 19 2009, 04:36 PM']No....that is a map.[/quote]
Did you actually look at it? Putting military targets next to civilian areas is considered a war crime. The kind of things terrorists do.

[kujo]

I did. I was making a joke.

Sorry.