Why is there no common definition offered for the term terrorism?
There is no common definition offered for the term terrorism. This is in part due to the wide array of definitions offered and the interpretations of them by elite researchers, consultants, domestic and foreign governments, specific governmental agencies (ranging from local to federal), and of course people like you and me.
It is much more evident that September 11, 2001 instilled “terrorism” as a common word in our vocabulary, but its popular interpretation by lead analysts still differs due to the multifarious terrorist groups that roam the Earth.
There is no one set definition that covers all terrorist groups. Some terrorist groups may have political reasons to propagate their cause and infiltrate government agencies, while others may have religious ideologies which need to cleanse the world of other religions.
Additionally the term terrorism has been changing its definition due to changes in history. The media helps present this point quite accurately. While acts of terror have been committed in the years past, the present day interpretation of terrorism by the media and the public may be a simple crime or the use of airplanes as bombs. Therefore, White (2006) asserts that the term has a “pejorative connotation” and “routine crimes (…) and political movements” may be labeled as terrorism (p.3).
Alex Schmid utilized thirteen of twenty-two common elements, which represent the definition of terrorism, and conglomerated it to come up with the Academic Consensus Definition used by researchers, private enterprises, governments, and even the United Nations (White, 2006). But even with such classification there are persons and governments that may qualify terrorism as war and there are some classifications of terrorism as a crime (Goldstein, 2007). Yet many analysts and governments are trying now (after 9/11) to make all the different definitions more comprehensive for policy making and for the betterment of counter-terrorism efforts.
References
Goldstein, D. (2007). The Criminology of Terrorism. Retrieved April 22, 2007, from Boston University, Vista Online Web site: http://vista.bu.edu/webct/
White, J.R. (2006). Terrorism and Homeland Security. (5th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth.
You might also like:
- Terrorism: International Consensus on Definition of Terrorism
- Terrorism: Brian Jenkins, Theory in the Area of Terrorism
- Terrorism: Schmid and the Definitional Dilemma Solution
- Terrorism: The Best Definition of Terrorism in Light of 9-11
- Terrorism: Advantages of Using Terrorism Typologies
- Terrorism: Criminal Behavior vs. Terrorism
- Terrorism: Ted Robert Gurr, Size of Terrorist Groups
