Matthew Paddock Blog Post #5
Blog Post #5: How to define terrorism? I became more interested in the process behind classifying certain events as acts of ‘terrorism’ after our class lecture in which we compared complex and controversial scenarios. I read an article written by Daniel Byman of the Brookings Institute in which he provides his own definition of terrorism and applies it to scenarios similar to what we discussed in class. I agree with certain tenets of Byman’s definition of terrorism but disagree with his analysis concerning if states can commit such actions. In my view, terrorism must involve violence or the threat of physical harm subjected upon non-violent actors. When designating something as an act of terrorism, I agree with Byman that a high level of violence should be the determining factor. Acts such as marches and stone throwing may be violent but would not constitute terrorism in my definition. Secondly, I argue that terrorism is inherently motivated by politics and is alm...
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