Defining Terrorism

Be that as it may, one of the most comprehensive and widely used definitions of terrorism was formulated by George Bush's 1986 Vice Presidential Task Force on combating terrorism. It states that terrorism is, "The unlawful use or threat of violence against persons or property to further political or social objectives. It is usually intended to intimidate or coerce a government, individuals, or groups, or to modify their behavior or politics" (Lacquer, 1987, p. 144). The main problem with this definition is that it places what we might normally consider legitimate resistance to a repressive regime in the same class as obvious terrorism.

Although imperfect, this definition is adequate as a working definition of terrorism for this paper. We can narrow the field of inquiry further by isolating the four subcategories of terrorism: State-sponsored terrorism such as existed in the U.S.S.R. under Stalin and in Romania under Ceaucescu; extreme left or right wing internal terrorism such as practiced by the Grey Wolves of Turkey, the Italian

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or of the Provo's continuing use of violence. In the last 20 years, over 2,700 people have been killed and over $1.5 billion worth of damage has been done to a country the size of Connecticut with a total population of 1.6 million. Some recent studies are indicating that the people of Northern Ireland are beginning to get heartily sick of their circumstances, with seven out of 10 respondents of one survey favoring Catholic-Protestant power sharing and reconciliation in ulster (Knight & Lawday, 1989, p. 47). Unfortunately, there have as yet been no substantive moves toward lasting peace in Northern Ireland. The British show no signs of leaving, although their involvement there is unpopular both in England and in Ulster, and the IRA shows no signs of letting up either. Experts agree that there is still no end in sight for this centuries-old quarrel in which "tribal loyalty transcends every other consideration" (Lacquer, 1987, p. 223). The Basque ETA has sustained its campaign in Europe longer than any other group except the IRA. It was created in the 1950s as a reaction to the repression of Franco's dictatorship, and their central demands have been the creation of an independent Basque state with Euskera as the official lan
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Palestine Israelis, Dobson Payne, Field Jordan, Northern Ireland, Task Force, Herri Batasuna, People Palestinians, Middle East, War II, , lacquer 1987, northern ireland, payne 1987, dobson payne 1987, dobson payne, terrorist organizations, middle east, official ira, basque provinces, payne 1987 195, 200 active, history violence, palestinian terrorist organizations, world war ii, knight lawday 1989,
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Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)