Terrorism

(terrorist)

Terrorism is a strategy for achieving political and other goals by the use or threat of unlawful violence to create fear and disruption among a targeted set of political actors. By demonstrating that they can kill, injure and abduct people, or damage and disrupt infrastructure, those who use terrorism hope to make it too costly for other relevant political actors to ignore or reject their goals.

The political impact of terrorism relies on an understanding that the real target of terrorism is not those who are directly harmed by terrorist acts but others whom the terrorists wish to coerce into changing their behaviour. These targets will vary according to the goals of the terrorists, and might include governments, political parties, businesses, trade unions, community groups, or members of particular communities. Thus although specific terrorist acts rely on unpredictability for part of their effect, successful terrorist acts cannot be random events. Their meaning must be understood by their targets. The killing of an aid worker, for example, must be understood by others in that aid organisation to mean that they should stop operating in a particular area, or in a particular way, or they will face more attacks.

Political scientists have attempted to classify the main types of terrorist groups according to their motivations. Irredentist terrorism, for example, is pursued by organisations supporting the claims of a particular ethnic group for political or territorial rights.