An Introduction to International Relations

Introduction

This chapter provides an overview of the long history, nature and significance of terrorism for International Relations (IR). It first addresses the topic's recent prominence. Terrorism is by no means the most brutal type of violence, especially in comparison with wars in which states have killed millions of people. But it garners outsized attention through its symbolic nature. Only by educating ourselves can we rob terrorism of the source of its power. Second, it addresses key academic debates, which always go back to the definition. The chapter argues that there are core areas of international agreement about what a terrorist act is, and that it can and should be distinguished from other types of violence. Third, it lays out intellectual frameworks that help us understand and analyse terrorism, including types of terrorism, historical patterns and the strategies used by terrorist groups. The chapter concludes with reflections about what is at stake in countering this type of illegitimate act.

Terrorist violence is an enduring part of the human experience. Its ancient roots are traceable at least back to the first century CE, when the Jewish Sicarii publicly killed prominent men in Jerusalem with knives (sica) and terrorised the population of Judea. Yet the word ‘terrorism’, with its pejorative connotations, is contested. Some people think it is so contentious that we should not use it at all. Unfortunately, that would make it impossible to study, and no one denies that terrorism exists.

Another way to think about the concept of terrorism in international relations is to consider it as complicated as the words ‘war’, ‘sovereignty’ and ‘revolution’. All of them reflect their political and historical contexts. They all have grey areas about which people argue, as well as core elements upon which there is consensus. At its heart, and regardless of whether we agree with the causes behind its use, terrorism is an act of illegitimate violence that hurts innocent people and violates long-standing legal and moral norms.

When and why did this issue become important to the study of International Relations?

The study of terrorism predates the establishment of international relations as an academic discipline, but it has never been as distinct and prominent it is now. Initially, terrorism was an interdisciplinary topic cutting across older disciplines such as history, economics, sociology, philosophy and political theory.