What is Terrorism???

No argument can be made against the assertion that the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon were able to single-handedly change the way we view international order. Appointing itself as an international God Father, the United States did not expect that an attack of such scale could be perpetrated on its soil. Of course, this was proved to be false, and a new enemy to the United States emerged; an enemy that Washington loosely labelled as terrorism. But what exactly is terrorism? Is it possible to come up with a definition for this polemic concept? And what did the so-called terrorism result in? How did it affect the world order? Surely a state has the undisputed right to protect its citizens, but what does this right entail? Does it entail the suspension of individual rights? And do states engage in terrorist activities or is it just an activity attributed to non-state actors such as al-Qaeda? And if they do, how should they be held accountable? How did this turn of events affect state sovereignty?

“Terrorism” is one of the most important and interesting topics for a student of international relations. The questions that I posed above have been the focal point of many of the debates between various scholars. Some go as far as putting forward ridiculous and baseless arguments such as religion is the main source of terrorism and that people who hold “extreme” view of any religion are more likely to become terrorists or supporters of terrorist activities. Some approach the issue with a genuine scholarly purpose and seek to analyze this phenomenon. But so far, I personally have not found an acceptable or sufficient definition of what terrorism is and what makes a terrorist a terrorist. Of course, not so many people share the same view; to them a terrorist is simply what George Bush, Stephen Harper and the RAND corporations define as a terrorist.

In this blog I seek to explore this issue myself. I will explore how this concept shaped the course of events in the international arena and how it affected the concept of state sovereignty (which is pretty much the framework or a mutual understanding between states protected by International Law). I will also try through my reading to understand what makes a terrorist, an insurgent, a freedom fights, a guerrilla fighter and others what they are. I will try to keep this blog as interesting as possible. J