Terrorism in todays world

Essay by drwasif April 2004

download word file, 3 pages 3.8 4 reviews

Downloaded 266 times

Terrorism. It is a word that strikes fear into many. Terrorism has been around since the beginning of time, and has caused empires to rise, fall, and allowed people to gain power, Terrorism by nature is difficult to define. Acts of terrorism conjure emotional responses in the victims as well as in the practitioners. No two writers agree on what is terrorism. Even the U.S. government cannot agree on one single definition. The old adage, "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter" is still alive and well today ("Terrorism Research Center: Definitions" 1). Although many people believe that terrorism is evil, it is merely misunderstood because there is no set definition. Terrorist are responsible to most of the freedom movements in every country. Terrorist have used violence to get their point across to the public. These acts are often necessary for the success of the movement or cause.

The use of this violence can be justified in several ways. You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs has been used by terrorist to describe their actions. Terrorism has been used by governments and against them. It has been used as part of a campaign by guerrillas who have widespread support and by small groups. Terrorism has been used in societies where grievances can be expressed freely and where free speech is suppressed.

Terrorism is a growing problem in this unstable world. A simple act of terrorism can cause tensions to break between two countries, as seen with Israel and Palestineans conflicts due to religious beliefs and territory disputes. Among the various potential threats are wars with neighboring countries, missile attacks on cities, biological and chemical terrorism, suicide bombings, and hostage taking. In an April 1999 survey the most feared terrorism was bombings on US soil.