International Studies Compendium Project

Extract

Comment on this article   Terrorism's roots are to be found in a triple cocktail of dissatisfied individuals, an enabling community and a legitimizing ideology. ( Richardson 2006 ) In contemporary society, terrorism is a strategy used by certain individuals and groups. Definitions of terrorism are many and diverse but, in this essay, the following basic and simple definition is used. Terrorism is understood as the systematic and extortionate use of violence against civilian populations or property in order to achieve political, ideological, or religious goals through the generation of propaganda and fear. This essay presents an attempt to unravel the complex origins of terrorist attacks, conducted during recent decades, which have been organized by ethnic minorities, nationalist groups or radically oriented religious organizations. Much work, by scholars across many disciplines, describes terrorism and methods of countering its effectiveness, while a comparatively sparse body of literature provides fundamental insights into the phenomenon. In a field where information is relatively rich and yet concrete data is scarce and understanding of the linkages between different approaches is low, it is essential to advance understanding. This is an attempt to bring together and link up many disciplinary perspectives on the issue of ethnic, nationalist, and religiously rooted terrorism. ... log in or subscribe to read full text