What is Terrorism?

Old one covered many times in the blog already.

Gemini gives:

Terrorism is the use or threat of violence to intimidate or coerce a population or government for political, religious, or ideological goals. This can involve serious violence against people, damage to property, or actions that endanger public health and safety. While no single definition is universally agreed upon, key elements include the use of violence, the intent to create fear, and a political or ideological motive. 

However one obvious problem with this definition is any government that uses force to promote its own interests especially by fear is using terrorism.

If anyone in a country does or does not do something for fear of the government's response then this is terrorism.

Fear if going to gaol counts as terrorism, in that incarceration is state violence.

It is common sense that governments around the world use terrorism and spend billions annually on weapons to impose their power through fear and violence.

So the definition was changed.

"the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

Now this is a bit unclear as "lawful" does not decide which legal system. It was quite legal for Nazis to persecute Jews. It was quite legal for Americans to exterminate Indians. It was quite legal for the Americas to vapourise the innocent people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It is a relative definition, designed to be used by certain political establishment to justify their own fear and intimidation while challenging that of other political establishments.

Now we are agreed that the goal of terrorism is to persuade people by fear and force. So the definition of terrorism that allows certain people to use fear and violence but not others is really a type of terrorism. It should be read as "if we do not agree with you we will use fear and violence to eliminate you." And vice versa "if you use fear and violence to influence us we mark that as terrorism and then use fear and violence against you."

The take home here is that fear and violence works and everyone uses it. The only difference is when some people think they are justified in using fear and violence and they think other people are not.

But the whole point of fear and violence was to change such opinions. So it is all very circular and inconclusive.

Since everyone is at fear and violence it is actually no use. The thing to do is analyse out the power groups who are seeking to take control. Once that is determined everything else is simple. Power groups are not simple flags, as within groups there are struggles for power, divisions, splinter groups, defections, rebellions etc. This is why we wake to to find there has been a coup and what seemed like a single power has fragmented. Terrorism is thereby a rather pointless term.