What is terrorism?

What is terrorism?

 We have heard this word for years, but ask yourself… what is terrorism?

Do you really know the true meaning of this?

The fact of the matter is that we do not have one single definition of the word because of all that it encompasses, but we can state the following:

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), they define terrorism as “the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”

To put it simply, it is using or threatening of violence for one’s specific gain.

A terrorist (which is someone who engages in terrorism) will do anything at all to make their point across. They fully believe that they are doing what is necessary to reach their goal and there is no act that is too out there for them. This is incomprehensible to us on the opposite side because we just see their disregard for human life.

What is terrorism and what types are there?

Let’s take a look at some types of terrorism.
There are two main types of terrorism that we can label.

Domestic terrorism:

• These acts of terrorism are from people who are located and operate inside of the United States. The acts of a domestic terrorist are completely aimed at the United States

International terrorism:

• These acts of terrorism are from people outside of the United States and they are affiliated with foreign countries. Generally they are acting for a specific political or social cause.

We can even break the types of terrorism down further.
Looking deeper, we can point out these categories of terrorism.

Bioterrorism

• Acts of bioterrorism include releasing toxic biological agents to hurt or threaten innocent people in the name of their cause.

Nuclear Terrorism

• There are several different ways that this type of terrorism is relevant including attacking a nuclear facility, releasing radioactive agents, or buying/building nuclear weapons.

Ecoterrorism

• Environmental violence is the basis of this type of terrorism. Environmental extremists sabotage or destroy property to cause damage to the economy which could affect different industries or their goal is to harm the environment.

Cyberterrorism

• This type of terrorism is growing more everyday. Cyberterrorists use technology to attack computers or communication systems to disrupt or corrupt a networking system. This could mean that they could hack into bank accounts, gain secure information, the list goes on.

Narcoterrorism

• Some terrorists have used drug trafficking as a means to fund their groups which is why we would consider this a type of terrorism being that it is supporting their efforts.

People ponder what actually causes terrorism, but there is not a specific answer to this question.
We can speculate on what could cause terrorism or look back in history and see what situations have caused terrorist groups to form.

Some of the conditions that could lead to terrorism are as follows:

Religion

• Differences in religion can drive terrorism although it is not the most prominent cause in today’s society. Some religions promise an afterlife or other rewards for sacrificing themselves which can lead to some of the more violent acts of terrorism.

Socio-Economic Status

• Pushing the drive of terrorism in this category comes from them seeing their social status versus those wealthier and in a higher status than themselves. Also, many small, low economic countries or groups can build tension when comparing their country with others around the world which leads to them wanting what others have.

Politics

• Political issues can play a huge part of terrorist groups forming. When there are complaints or injustice in a country’s political system, which we’ve seen time and time again, right and left wing terrorist groups can form. When the citizens get frustrated or aren’t being heard, it can lead to violent acts breaking out.

Discrimination

• There have been many instances where groups of people face discrimination in their country which causes them to leave their country and seek another place to live. Once they have moved into the new location, they feel a sense of isolation which can lead to discrimination once more. The circle of this happening and then never getting that sense of belonging leads people to seek out those similar to them and and in turn, they look down upon everyone else. That feeling of isolation and being discriminated again tends to lead to acts of terror in the poorer countries.

Ethno-Nationalism

• Many times there are groups of people that want to break off from their government and create a system of their own. This can go hand in hand with the political causes if it continues on, but some minority groups wanting that independence will resort to terrorism to gain what they are after.

As you can see, asking the question “what is terrorism” is not as simple as a one sentence answer.

There are multiple conditions that can lead to terrorism, there are different types of terrorism, and there are even different definitions of terrorism.

Please share your comments below! We’d love to hear your opinion.