TERRORISM

Terrorism

Chapter 1: Introduction

According to sociologists and experts on terrorism the French Revolution provided the first uses of the words terrorist and terrorism.

The use of the word terrorism began in 1795 in reference to the 'Reign of Terror' initiated by the Revolutionary government in France during the French Revolution. The agents of the Committee of Public Safety and the National Convention that enforced the policies of “The Terror” were referred to as 'terrorists'. The French Revolution provided an example to future states in oppressing their populations. It also inspired a reaction by royalists and other opponents of the Revolution who employed terrorist tactics such as assassination and intimidation in resistance to the revolutionary agents. Systematic use of terror as a policy is first recorded in England in 1798.

The words terrorism and terrorist were first used as political terms to describe atrocities of an occupying establishment - say colonial government. Researches done on the history of terrorism reveal that 'terrorist' in the modern sense dates to 1947, especially in reference to Jewish tactics against the British in Palestine - while earlier it was used for extremist revolutionaries in Russia (1866). The tendency of one party's terrorism said to be another's guerrilla war or fight for freedom was noted in reference to the anti-British actions in India (1857), Cyprus (1956) and the war in Rhodesia (1973). The word terrorist has been applied, at least retroactively, to the Marquis resistance in occupied France in World War II. The Britain has first used the terms 'terrorism and terrorist' to describe anti -establishment forces or those who used hit-and-run practices against British colonialism. It is relatively hard to define terrorism albeit it is not a new phenomenon for the world. A Western writer argues, 'Terrorism has been described variously as both a tactic and strategy; a crime and a holy duty; a justified reaction to oppression and an inexcusable abomination.' Obviously, a lot depends on whose point of view is being represented. Terrorism has often been an effective tactic for the weaker side in a conflict. As an asymmetric form of conflict, it confers coercive power with many of the advantages of military force at a fraction of the cost (Dawkins, 1998).  Definition of Terrorism

World's popular online encyclopaedia — Wikipedia, notes 'The word “terrorism” is politically and emotionally charged, and this greatly compounds the difficulty of providing a precise definition. A 2003 study by Jeffrey Record for the US Army quoted a source that counted 109 definitions of terrorism that covered a total of 22 different definitional elements. Record continues “Terrorism expert Walter Laqueur also has counted over 100 definitions and concludes that the 'only general characteristic generally agreed upon is that terrorism involves violence and the threat of violence.' Yet terrorism is hardly the only enterprise involving violence and the threat of violence. So does war, coercive diplomacy, and barroom brawls.''The lack of agreement on a definition of terrorism has been a major obstacle to meaningful international countermeasures (Primoratz, ...