Question
finish task; Terrorism
Answer
Terrorism
At a time when terrorism has become a major security concern, the definition of this term remains abstract (Gareau 157). Different organizations have defined terrorism in various ways, each of which offers a slightly different perspective (Wilner and Wenger 245). To begin with, UN the UN has been unable to fully outline the definition of terrorism mainly because of the religious profiling implications such a move may portend. The EU defines terrorism along lines of instilling fear and leveraging to compel certain actions that are beneficial to the terrorist groups involved. In general, the common themes of terrorism include acts of violence, a target group that is unable to defend its ideologies and advances its political aims by spreading fear and using coercion (Held 19).
In accordance of these definitions and the global threat today, terrorism can be identified as the use of psychological, biological and physical force by any state or sub-state groups that do so with a strategic or political goal in total disregard of existing national and international legal frameworks. It is of importance to take a bold definition of terrorism despite any implications it may have (Sageman, 76). In reality, terrorist are unbound by any laws and may continue to engage in terror activities regardless of the way various stakeholders define their activities. It is only through an all-encompassing definition that global partners will be able to take effective measures aimed at dealing with the danger of terrorism.
Both state and non-state groups have been found to engage in acts of violence (Sageman 126). Besides, many nations are employing intimidating acts to confront non-state agencies engaging in terror. In the long run,political and economic factors may be used as a pretext for wars fought with the aim of promoting religious ideologies. Nevertheless, the definition I propose outlines the need for a legal framework to protect citizens against these acts.
Works Cited
Gareau, Frederick. State Terrorism and the United States: From Counterinsurgency to the War on Terrorism. Atlanta: Clarity Press, 2004. Print.
Held, Virginia. How Terrorism is wrong: Morality and PoliticalViolence. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.
Sageman, Marc. Understanding Terror Networks. Philadelphia: University of Philadelphia Press, 2004. Print.
Sageman, Marc. Leaderless Jihad Terror Networks in the Twenty First Century. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008. Print.
Wilner, Alex. and Wenger, Andreas. Deterring Terrorism: Theory and Practice. Stanford: Stanford Security Studies, 2012. Print.
