terrorism

Where does the word terrorism come from?

The word was coined during France's “Reign of Terror” in 1793-94. Originally, the leaders of this systematized attempt to weed out "traitors" among the revolutionary ranks praised terror as the best way to defend liberty, but as the French Revolution soured, the word soon took on grim echoes of state violence and guillotines. Today, most terrorists dislike the label.



Defining terrorism

Terrorism by nature is difficult to define. Even though most people can recognize terrorism when they see it, experts have had difficulty coming up with a generally accepted definition. Terrorism can be described as the unlawful use of fear or force to achieve certain political, economical or social aims. Even the U.S government cannot agree on one single definition. The old adage, “one’s man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” is still alive and well.
The State Department defines terrorism as "premeditated, politically motiv...