Lecture 1: What is terrorism?
● No commonly accepted definition
● Highly politized debate
● Counter-terrorism can affect the entire population.
● Nuanced and critical approach key to informed citizenship
● Condemnation rather than description
● Terrorism as a definitional weapon
● Difficulties of building upon others’ research
● Key elements of terrorism
○ Violence, force
○ Political
○ Fear, terror emphasized
● Clarity through compassion
○ Terrorism vs. insurgency (goals, org requirements, rel. To populace)
○ Terrorism v organized crime
○ Terrorism v terror
○ Terrorism v war
● Schmid’s 2011 definition of terrorism
○ Terrorism refers on the one hand to a doctrine about the presumed
effectiveness of a special form or tactic of fear generating, coercive political
violence, and, on the other hand, to a conspiratorial practice of calculated,
demonstrative, direct violence action without legal or moral restraints,
targeting mainly civilians and non-combatants, performed for its
propagandistic and psychological effects on various audiences and conflict
parties.
● Different types of terrorism
○ Left-wing: Marxist-Leninist, revolutionary, the struggle for a class-less
society.
○ Right-wing: mistrust of government, conspiracy theories, racist, neo-fascist,
highly conservative, religious
○ Nationalist/ separatist: self determination, anti-colonial, strong driver
insurgency.
● European Union’s Framework Decision on Combating Terrorism of 2002 -
definition
○ Criminal offenses against persons and property that, given their nature or
context, may seriously damage a country or international organization was
committed with the aim of seriously intimidating a population; or unduly
compelling a Government or international organization to perform or abstain
from performing any act; or seriously destabilizing or destroying the
fundamental political, economic or social structure of a country or an
international organization.
● What are the requirements of the critical elements for a definition of terrorism?
● Terrorism vs. guerrila
, ○ The definition states that if an attack deliberately targets civilians, that attack
will be considered a terrorist attack. In contrast, if it targets military or
security personnel, it will be considered a guerrilla attack. (Ganor, 2010)
● Ganor 2002
○ Why is it important to define terrorism?
■ For punishment and legislation purposes
■ When it is appropriately defined, states know how to counter it
appropriately.
■ To help terrorists rethink their actions.
■ To be objective and neutral (aim that he wants to achieve)
○ What are the main elements of his definition?
■ ‘terrorism is the intentional use of, or threat to use, violence against
civilians or civilian targets, to attain political aims.’
■
■
■ The means distinguish between terrorism from gorilla warfare
○ Why does he focus on the standards rather than the goals?
○ Does Ganor believe states can label terrorists?
■ States don’t commit terrorism but commit war crimes
● Schmid (2013)
○ Academic Consensus Definition: : (i) illegal state repression; (ii)
propagandistic agitation by non-state actors in times of peace or outside
, zones of conflict and (iii) as an illicit tactic of irregular warfare employed by
the state- and non-state actors.
○ The distinction between doctrine and practice
○ Involves illegal acts
○ Targetting mainly civilians and noncombatants
○ Schmid’s key point: terrorism as an extremely violent and theatrical form of
communication
● Torros (2008)
○ Definition: ‘a violent means aimed at triggering political change by affecting a
larger audience than its immediate target that is to be examined using both
problem-solving and critical theory and focusing on its socio-historical
context in an analysis embedded in broader social and political theory that
acknowledges a normative role to theory’
● No commonly accepted definition
● Highly politized debate
● Counter-terrorism can affect the entire population.
● Nuanced and critical approach key to informed citizenship
● Condemnation rather than description
● Terrorism as a definitional weapon
● Difficulties of building upon others’ research
● Key elements of terrorism
○ Violence, force
○ Political
○ Fear, terror emphasized
● Clarity through compassion
○ Terrorism vs. insurgency (goals, org requirements, rel. To populace)
○ Terrorism v organized crime
○ Terrorism v terror
○ Terrorism v war
● Schmid’s 2011 definition of terrorism
○ Terrorism refers on the one hand to a doctrine about the presumed
effectiveness of a special form or tactic of fear generating, coercive political
violence, and, on the other hand, to a conspiratorial practice of calculated,
demonstrative, direct violence action without legal or moral restraints,
targeting mainly civilians and non-combatants, performed for its
propagandistic and psychological effects on various audiences and conflict
parties.
● Different types of terrorism
○ Left-wing: Marxist-Leninist, revolutionary, the struggle for a class-less
society.
○ Right-wing: mistrust of government, conspiracy theories, racist, neo-fascist,
highly conservative, religious
○ Nationalist/ separatist: self determination, anti-colonial, strong driver
insurgency.
● European Union’s Framework Decision on Combating Terrorism of 2002 -
definition
○ Criminal offenses against persons and property that, given their nature or
context, may seriously damage a country or international organization was
committed with the aim of seriously intimidating a population; or unduly
compelling a Government or international organization to perform or abstain
from performing any act; or seriously destabilizing or destroying the
fundamental political, economic or social structure of a country or an
international organization.
● What are the requirements of the critical elements for a definition of terrorism?
● Terrorism vs. guerrila
, ○ The definition states that if an attack deliberately targets civilians, that attack
will be considered a terrorist attack. In contrast, if it targets military or
security personnel, it will be considered a guerrilla attack. (Ganor, 2010)
● Ganor 2002
○ Why is it important to define terrorism?
■ For punishment and legislation purposes
■ When it is appropriately defined, states know how to counter it
appropriately.
■ To help terrorists rethink their actions.
■ To be objective and neutral (aim that he wants to achieve)
○ What are the main elements of his definition?
■ ‘terrorism is the intentional use of, or threat to use, violence against
civilians or civilian targets, to attain political aims.’
■
■
■ The means distinguish between terrorism from gorilla warfare
○ Why does he focus on the standards rather than the goals?
○ Does Ganor believe states can label terrorists?
■ States don’t commit terrorism but commit war crimes
● Schmid (2013)
○ Academic Consensus Definition: : (i) illegal state repression; (ii)
propagandistic agitation by non-state actors in times of peace or outside
, zones of conflict and (iii) as an illicit tactic of irregular warfare employed by
the state- and non-state actors.
○ The distinction between doctrine and practice
○ Involves illegal acts
○ Targetting mainly civilians and noncombatants
○ Schmid’s key point: terrorism as an extremely violent and theatrical form of
communication
● Torros (2008)
○ Definition: ‘a violent means aimed at triggering political change by affecting a
larger audience than its immediate target that is to be examined using both
problem-solving and critical theory and focusing on its socio-historical
context in an analysis embedded in broader social and political theory that
acknowledges a normative role to theory’
