User:Setanta747/terrorism

Definitions:

Acts of violence committed by groups that view themselves as victimized by some notable historical wrong. Although these groups have no formal connection with governments, they usually have the financial and moral backing of sympathetic governments.

the unlawful use or threat of violence esp. against the state or the public as a politically motivated means of attack or coercion

Terrorism is a real word, despite attempts by some to annul its meaning and usage in the last few years of the 20th century and the beggining of the 21st century. Terrorists exist, in fact, outside of the State, threaten the security of the State, and target citizens of the State; unarmed individuals and off-duty State security personnel.

That some States may well be guilty of mismanagement or even tyranny, does not negate the fact that terrorists and terrorism exists. To declare any group as a terrorist is not to necessarily declare that they are wrong, morally or otherwise, though they are always illegal.

There are three general defining characteristics for terrorists:

1. They are weaker than their perceived enemy, numerically and technologically (in terms of firepower etc).
2. Their actions define them - both in asserting their identity and calling attention to them and their declared 'cause'.
3. They attempt to change or replace the System by destroying it.