Although some Americans talk as if terrorism was invented in the run-up to 9/11, it has a long history. In sentence one of his thought-provoking history (in a new revised edition), Randall D. Law states that terrorism has been around as long as civilization, even if the means and ends have changed. The Birmingham-Southern College history professor wrestles with defining terrorism, a word that triggers an emotional reaction and whose definition is slippery. Terrorism is often described as violence against civilians. If so, then the U.S. is among the greatest terrorists for its air bombing campaigns in World War II (and beyond). Law examines terrorism as a set of tactics designed to harm the enemy and as political theater intended to broadcast a message. While some terrorists are mentally ill, terrorism usually results from rational, goal-oriented decisions by the actors involved. The word is virtually never used in praise but as a way “to frame debates, find scapegoats and vilify enemies.”
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