Terrorism

The term terrorism is largely synonymous with "political violence," and refers to a strategy of using coordinated attacks which typically fall outside of the time, place, and manner of conduct commonly understood as within the bounds of conventional warfare.

Examples of major incidents

The following incidents have been described as domestic and international terrorism: the June 1985 double-bombing of Air India jets originating from Canada, the 1993 Mumbai bombings, the Oklahoma City bombing in the USA (April 19, 1995); the Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland (August 15, 1998); the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, and Washington DC, USA; the Munich Massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes in 1972; the Bali bombing in October 2002, the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988, attack on Indian Parliament (December 13, 2001), the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in 1996, the March 11, 2004 attacks in Madrid, July 7, 2005 bombings in London and the second Bali bombing in October 2005.

Related Topics:
1993 Mumbai bombings - Oklahoma City bombing - USA - April 19 - 1995 - Omagh bombing - Northern Ireland - August 15 - 1998 - September 11, 2001 attacks - New York - Washington DC - Munich Massacre - 1972 - Bali bombing - Pan Am Flight 103 - Lockerbie - Scotland - 1988 - Indian Parliament - December 13 - 2001 - Centennial Olympic Park bombing - March 11, 2004 attacks - Madrid - July 7, 2005 bombings - London - Second Bali bombing

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The deadliest events described as terrorism and not known to have been sponsored by a state were the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, in Arlington County, Virginia. So far as is known, the deadliest attack planned but not executed was Operation Bojinka, which aimed to murder Pope John Paul II and blow up 11 airliners. The plot was aborted after an apartment fire in Manila, Philippines on January 5, 1995 exposed the operation to police. The militants who were planning it were just over two weeks away from implementing their plot. Other plots, such as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, were designed to kill thousands but failed to do so.

Related Topics:
September 11, 2001 attacks - World Trade Center - New York - The Pentagon - Arlington County, Virginia - Operation Bojinka - Pope - John Paul II - Manila - Philippines - 1993 World Trade Center bombing

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A frequent response is to dispute the attribution of terrorism. Often that is accompanied by a counter-charge. The controversy about "eco-terrorism" is a good example. This term was coined in the United States to refer to ecotage actions by environmentalist, for instance the disabling of logging machinery. The response of those who sympathise with the environmentalists has been to describe the timber companies as being the real eco-terrorists, for destroying forests and damaging the ecosystem. In the long term, this type of dispute is thought to polarize the population into factions for and against the move. That in turn is thought to undermine political legitimacy, that is, the willingness of the population to accept government and court decisions, even if they personally disagree with them. A sense of shared values and a minimal respect, probably cannot survive if wide sections of the population believe each other to be terrorists. This may be an argument not to use the word. Very similar arguments apply between the so-called "pro-life" and "pro-choice" factions in the abortion argument.

Related Topics:
Eco-terrorism - Ecotage - Environmentalist - Logging - Polarize - Faction - Political legitimacy - Pro-life - Pro-choice - Abortion

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