Defining Terrorism

1. Defining Terrorism Prompt: Start off by defining “Terrorism” in your own words.

2. US Department of Defense’s Def. • The calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.

3. FBI Definition • "International terrorism" means activities with the following three characteristics: • Involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law; • Appear to be intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and • Occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S., or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum.* • "Domestic terrorism" means activities with the following three characteristics: • Involve acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law; • Appear intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination. or kidnapping; and • Occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S.

4. Walter Laqueur(American Historian) “Terrorism constitutes the illegitimate use of force to achieve a political objective when innocent people are targeted. “

5. C.J.M. Drake (Author/Sociologist) • Is defined here as the recurrent use or threatened use of politically motivated and clandestinely organized violence, by a group whose aim is to influence a psychological target in order to make it behave in a way, which the group desires.