Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Terrorism |
TerrorismNoun1. The systematic use of violence as a means to intimidate or coerce societies or governments. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "terrorism" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1818. (references) |
Etymology: Terrorism \Ter"ror*ism\, noun. [Compare to the French expression terrorisme.]. (Websters 1913) |
| Domain | Definitions |
Military | The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence against individuals or property in an attempt to coerce or intimidate governments or societies to achieve political, religious or ideological objectives. (references) |
Public Administration | The organized recourse to violent and illegal acts with the view to creating extreme fear, social dislocation, intimidation, heavy destruction or governmental disorganization, for political, extremist or personal gain. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Terrorism (from French (18th century): terrorisme under the Terror) is the term commonly used to refer to the calculated use of violence or the threat of violence, against the civilian population, usually for the purpose of obtaining political or religious goals. There is no single, universally accepted, definition of terrorism. In the US, terrorism is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations as "...the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives" (28 C.F.R.
Section 0.85). This is not, however, the definition in the British Terrorism Act 2000, which defines terrorism so as to include not only attacks on military personnel, but also acts not usually considered violent, such as shutting down a website whose views one dislikes.
Although the exact meaning of the term is disputed, it is commonly held that the distinctive nature of terrorism lies in its deliberate and specific selection of civilians as targets, a choice designed to attract wide publicity and cause extreme levels of public shock, outrage and fear. Terrorists believe these conditions will help to bring about the political or religious changes that they seek.
Irregular acts of revolutionary or guerrilla warfare are not usually considered to constitute terrorism. However, revolutionaries and guerrillas are often labelled as terrorists, especially if they deliberately and specifically select civilians as targets of violence in the pursuit of political or religious ends.
Some hold that terrorism can be committed by governments, although others consider governments incapable of terrorism by definition (see article state terrorism and section on state terrorism below). In the eyes of a government sympathetic to the political motives of violent actors, such acts might not be considered terrorism, and may even be referred to as acts of "freedom fighters".
One who carries out acts of terrorism is a terrorist, though which acts those are is the subject of interminable debate. Terrorists are not protected by the laws of war because they cannot claim lawful combatant status. Guerrillas are often mistaken for terrorists, and some terrorists call themselves guerrillas. Adding to the confusion are numerous states, including developed ones, which routinely employ terrorist strategies in addition to established military practices. Asymmetric warfare and low-intensity warfare are military terms for tactics that can include terrorism or guerilla warfare.
Finally, terrorism is distinguished from other crimes by its political motive. A gang of bank robbers who kill the bank manager, blow up the vault, and escape with the contents would normally not be classified as terrorists, because their motive was profit. On the other hand, if the gang were to execute the same assault with the intent of causing a crisis in public confidence in the banking system, followed by a run on the banks and a destabilization of the economy, then the gang would certainly be classified as terrorists.
If applied to states' behaviour towards the citizens of other states, most of 20th century warfare, from aerial bombing of cities and "scorched Earth" policies to "ethnic cleansing" would qualify, and many states would be "terrorist" by definition. Since no state wants to define itself as terroristic, the term "terrorist" is more often applied to non-state actors in asymmetric warfare.
As defined by the United States Department of Defense, terrorism is a very specific type of violence, although the term is often applied to other kinds of violence felt to be unacceptable. Typical terrorist actions include assassinations, kidnappings, bombings, drive-by shootings, lynchings, hijackings, and random killings. It is a political, not military, strategy and is generally conducted by groups not strong enough to mount open assaults, although it is used in peace, conflict, and war. The intent of terrorism is to induce fear in an audience (not its victims) in order to cause the audience (or its government) to alter its behavior.
The State Department declines to classify domestic militia groups as terrorist groups, despite a striking similarity in causes, doctrine, and training. This is widely believed to be due to a desire to maintain domestic cohesion, as the government fears the destructive potential of these groups if provoked. In the case of Irv Rubin of the JDL, the FBI took action to infiltrate and interfere with attempts to commit terrorism against Darrell Issa, a US Congressman, but does not consider the JDL to be a terrorist group in the same sense as groups such as Al-Qaeda.
In the current post-9-11 context, many contend that the word terrorist is overly politicized; they argue that it is used not a reference to a behaviour, but rather as a label to demonize an enemy in terms that convey moral repulsion and outrage. This process of demonization of an enemy is normal in wartime and serves to solidify public opinion: George W. Bush of the USA, for example, routinely describes "the terrorists" as being "evil" and "without conscience".
Some famous terrorist organizations of the 20th century include the American Ku Klux Klan (founded in 1865 and revived several times since), the Irish Republican Army (founded 1919),the Pakistani Lashkar E Toiba and Jaish E Mohammed, the pre-state Zionist groups Irgun (founded 1931) and Lehi (founded 1940), the Spanish ETA (founded 1959),the Canadian Front de Libération du Québec (founded 1963), the Palestine Liberation Organization (founded 1964), the German Red Army Faction (also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang, founded 1967), the Italian Red Brigade (founded 1969), the American Weathermen (founded in 1969), the Peruvian Shining Path (active since the late 1960s), the Palestinian Black September (founded 1970), Puerto Rico's Los Macheteros (founded 1976), the multi-Arab group Hezbollah (founded 1978), the Islamic Jihad (active in Egypt and Palestine since the late 1970s) and internationaly acting al-Qaeda (founded in 1988).
Terrorism is exceedingly difficult for governments to control or prevent, especially when some of its practitioners are willing to risk their lives or (in some cases) even to embrace certain death. A few governments such as Iraq, Pakistan, Libya, the United States, Yemen and the countries that supported the Taliban regime in Afghanistan have been accused of promoting or protecting certain terrorist groups.
Based on their writings, many Greek scholars seem to have believed that monarchs and tyrants in general dealt with their subjects in similar ways in order to maintain their personal power. However, city-states practising oligarchy and democracy were also known for sentencing a number of their citizens to death if they were believed to pose a threat to the stability of the current form of government. In some cases, mere suspicion was enough for capital punishment to be used. In others, a confession by the accused or a testimony against them was needed. However, Thucydides mentions several cases where confessions were forced out of prisoners and testimonies out of slaves by means of torture.
During the French Revolution (1789 - 1799), the most severe period of the rule of the Committee of Public Safety (1793 - 1795) was labelled "The Terror" (1793 - 1794), epitomizing state terror directed primarily at the state's own citizens: the Committee's Jacobin adherents became "Terrorists" (with a capital "T"). The Committee's leader Maximilien Robespierre is particularly noted for his fanaticism in pursuing what he believed were honest goals.
Before the 19th century, some terrorists went out of their way to avoid casualties among innocents not involved in the conflict. For example, Russian radicals intent on the assassination of Alexander II of Russia (reigned March 2, 1855 - March 13, 1881) cancelled several actions out of concern that they might injure women, children, elderly persons, or other innocents. When the assassination was finally performed, only the Tsar, his assassin Ignatei Grinevitski and a few members of the Tsar's escort are known to have been killed or wounded -- no "innocents".
Today, the use of terrorism has grown among the alienated owing to the psychological impact it can have on the public through extensive media coverage, and perhaps owing to weapons technology improvements that have made it possible for a "super-empowered angry man" (in the words of Thomas Friedman) to cause a large amount of destruction by himself or with only a few conspirators. Terrorism is often the last resort of the desperate. It can be, and has been, conducted by small as well as large organizations. Historically, groups may resort to terrorism when they believe all other avenues, including economics, protest, public appeal, and organized warfare, hold no hope of success (also see rioting). This suggests that perhaps one approach to combat terrorism is to ensure that in any case where there is a population feeling oppressed, that at least some avenue of gaining attention to problems is kept open, even if the population in question is in the minority on an opinion. Other rationales for terrorism include attempts to gain or consolidate power either by instilling fear in the population to be controlled, or by stimulating another group into becoming a hardened foe, thereby setting up polarizing us-versus-them dynamics (also see nationalism and fascism). A third common rationale for terrorism is to demoralize and paralyse one's enemy with fear; this sometimes works, but can also stiffen the enemy's resolve. Often, several of these reasons may explain the actions of a particular group. In general, retribution against terrorists can result in escalating tit-for-tat violence; however, it is often felt that if the consequences of engaging in terrorism are not swift and punitive, the deterrent to other terrorist groups is diminished.
The existing order within countries or internationally depends on compromises and agreements between various groups and interests which were made to resolve past conflicts. Over time these arrangements become less relevant to the current situation. Some terrorist acts seem calculated to disrupt the existing order and provoke conflicts in the expectation that it will lead to a new order more favorable to their interests.
There are eleven major multilateral conventions related to states' responsibilities for combating terrorism.
In addition to these conventions, other instruments may be relevant to particular circumstances, such as bilateral extradition treaties, the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Moreover, there are now a number of important United Nations Security Council and General Assembly Resolutions on international terrorism, including three important Security Council resolutions dealing with Libya's conduct in connection with the sabotage of Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988, which includes UN Security Council Resolutions 731 (January 21, 1992); 748 (March 31, 1992) and 883 (November 11, 1993).
The following list identifies the major terrorism conventions and provides a brief summary of some of the major terms of each instrument. In addition to the provisions summarized below, most of these conventions provide that parties must establish criminal jurisdiction over offenders (e.g., the state(s) where the offense takes place, or in some cases the state of nationality of the perpetrator or victim).
The first usage of the word terrorism (terrorisme in French) was in France during The Terror, then first usage of this word was for state terrorism.
According to Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón, "State terrorism is a political system whose rule of recognition permits and/or imposes a clandestine, unpredictable, and diffuse application, even regarding clearly innocent people, of coercive means prohibited by the proclaimed judicial ordinance. State terrorism obstructs or annuls judicial activity and transforms the government into an active agent in the struggle for power."
The US operated the School of the Americas in Panama to train Latin American military personnel, formally in counterinsurgency. The alumni often formed the core of security agencies in Latin America that supported military dictators and made use of torture.
Almost all the countries in Latin America have experienced periods of state terrorism under dictatorial or military governments, pushed by the CIA Condor Plan; it was common that the initial three to five years after the coup d'état were characterized by violence, arbitrary detentions, exile, torture, and "disappearances".
The population of the Soviet Union suffered state terrorism during the Stalin era. Millions were arrested, sometimes arbitrarily, forced to sign ridiculous confessions, and executed or sent off to the Gulag labour camps. Communist regimes in other countries also practised state terrorism to control the population, but to a lesser degree than the Soviet Union.
During World War II (September 1, 1939 - August 15, 1945) both the Axis Powers and the Allies were responsible for the deaths of numerous civilians not directly involved in the fighting.
The Nazis systematized the practice of executing hostages in response to resistance actions (considered as terrorist by them).
World War II was also notable for the strategic bombing of cities. Nazi Germany's bombing of London and other major British cities is known as the Blitz and caused the deaths of an estimated 42,000 civilians. The United Kingdom and the United States used fire-bomb attacks on Dresden between February 13 and February 15, 1945. Dresden was largely destroyed and estimates of the number of civilians killed vary from as few as 35,000 to as many as 135,000. The USA's bombing of Tokyo is estimated to have killed 83,000 civilians. The atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945) are estimated to have killed about 70,000 and 39,000 civilians respectively; these numbers do not include longer-terms deaths from radiation poisoning. It has been argued that these acts qualify as state terrorism as they specifically targeted civilian rather than military targets. Others have argued for military justification of these acts as they did manage to somewhat weaken the enemy state. The later two attacks are believed to have forced Japan into surrendering and so ending the war.
Some claim Israeli actions against the Palestinian population are an example of state terrorism. Others disagree, claiming Israeli actions are not aimed specifically at harming Palestinian civilians, but are rather a part of regular warfare, in which civilians sometimes suffer.
State terrorism is backed by state-funded propaganda, ostensibly for "National Security" reasons; the state may argue that the measures are short-term, that the government is in state of war against guerrilla or terrorist groups (sometimes, groups loyal to a previous, deposed government), and that they are working to restore the "Constitution" and "democracy".
The most pervasive elements of state terrorism are detention without judicial process, extrajudicial or summary executions, and secret trials. A terrorist group that achieves power may institute a dictatorship.
States widely classed as 'terrorist' include:
Nationalist terrorists seek to form a separate state for their own group, and try to draw attention to their fight for "national liberation".
Examples of Nationalist Terrorist Groups:
Religious terrorists use violence to further what they see as divinely commanded purposes. (See also Religious intolerance).
Examples of Religious Terrorist Groups:
Left-wing terrorists wish to undermine or destroy capitalism and replace it with a communist or socialist government.
Examples of Left-Wing Terrorist Groups:
Right-wing, or "neo-Fascist", terrorists seek to abolish liberal democratic governments and create authoritarian regimes in their place. They frequently attack immigrants and are both racist and xenophobic, often specifically anti-semitic.
During the 1980s, right-wing Latin American terrorist groups, known as death squads, often consisted of members of the armed forces who acted in an unofficial capacity to terrorize dissidents, generally with the implicit support or protection of high ranking officials. As private groups with overlapping memberships with the military, they were able to carry out a terror campaign on the government's behalf while giving the government a form of plausible deniability. The most famous victims of this campaign of death-squad terrorism in El Salvador were four American nuns in 1980, and Archbishop Oscar Romero also during that year. In a civil trial ending in July of 2002, a jury in Miami, Florida convicted two former Salvadoran defence officials of the torture of three Salvadoran dissidents, and ordered them to pay $54.6 million to the plaintiffs.
In many other cases, right-wing terrorists are among the least organized; most of them belong to various neo-Nazi groups.
Anarchist terrorism was much more prevalent from the 1870s to the 1920s than it is at present. Several heads of state were assassinated, including King Umberto I of Italy (July 29, 1900) and President of the United States William McKinley (September 14, 1901). The justification of Anarchist terrorism was that such acts would make anarchist ideas famous; however, there were also many terrorists and criminals who called themselves "anarchists" but had little in common with philosophical anarchists and often rejected any association with these individuals. This policy was known as "propaganda by the deed". Modern Anarchist terrorists would include Revolutionary Cells, Germany and Squamish Five, Canada. (Neither actually called themselves Anarchists.) Some Anarchists are found participating with the more violent elements of demonstrations, such as the anti-globalism protests in the 1990s and 2000s. There are significant sections of the Anarchist movement which do not support terrorism or violence, including many organizations and individuals that advocate pacifism.
The classification of a person or group as "terrorist" is nearly always disputed. Below, we list some of the better-known individuals who are regarded as terrorists (or as having been terrorists in the past) by a significant body of opinion apart from the victims of acts with which they have rightly or wrongly been linked. In many, perhaps most, cases there is also a significant body of contrary opinion. Inclusion of many people in this one list does not indicate any type of equivalence between them. We have not included leaders of governments even when they are widely regarded as guilty of "state terrorism".
Definition and semantics
Problems with the definition
Terrorist attacks and terrorists
Significant terrorist incidents include the Oklahoma City bombing (April 19, 1995), the Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland (August 15, 1998) and the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack in the USA. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has also spawned a significant number of terrorist incidents, such as the 2002 Passover massacre. See Terrorism against Israel for more details and a timeline. There are also allegations of Israeli terrorism during the 1940s and 1950s.History
Terrorism has been used (though not so named) throughout recorded history at least as far back as ancient Greece, mostly in the form of State Terrorism. According to Greek mythology, Zeus, King of the Gods, maintained his power by intimidating the other gods with threats of physical violence. In some cases, he acted on these threats, most famously in the legend of Prometheus' punishment. In that legend Zeus was assisted by Cratos (personification of strength and power) and Bia (personification of force). In Greek "Cratos" also has the meaning of "State Authority" or simply "State". Bia is Greek for "violence". The legend as used by Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound seems to demonstrate the belief that monarchs ruled by means of state authorized violence.
Terrorism relies heavily on surprise. Terrorist attacks can trigger sudden transitions into conflict or war. It is not uncommon after a terrorist attack for a number of unassociated groups to claim responsibility for the action; this may be considered "free publicity" for the organization's aims or plans. Because of its anonymous and often self-sacrificial nature, it is not uncommon for the reasons behind the action to remain unknown for a considerable period.International Conventions on Terrorism
During the negotiations on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, many states supported adding terrorism to the list of crimes over which the court would have jurisdiction. This proposal was not adopted; however the Statute provides for a review conference to be held seven years after the entry into force of the Statute, which will consider (among other things) an extension of the court's jurisdiction to include terrorism.Types of Terrorism
Six broad categories of terrorist organizations can be identified, though the distinctions between them are not always precise. In addition to this classification, terrorism can also be classified by its range of operations into domestic terrorism and international terrorism.State Terrorism
Main article: State terrorism
Anarchists believe that all states are founded on violence and therefore the term 'terrorist state' is tautological. As with other uses of the term 'terrorism', the term 'state terrorism' is highly controversial. Many of those who believe in the reality of 'state terrorism' would classify Britain, Israel and/or the United States as leading terrorist states.Nationalist Terrorism
Main article: Nationalist terrorismReligious Terrorism
Main article: Religious terrorismLeft-wing Terrorism
Main article: Left-wing terrorismRight-Wing Terrorism
Main article: Right-wing terrorismAnarchist Terrorism
Main article: Anarchism and ViolenceFront Organizations
Terrorist organizations sometimes create front organizations, sometimes legitimate, to conceal activities and/or to provide logistical and/or financial support to the illegal activities. Many "import-export" companies ended up being front organizations for terrorist groups.Famous Terrorists and Former Terrorists
Related articles
List of terrorist groups |
List of terrorist incidents |
U.S. list of state sponsors of international terrorism |
bioterrorism |
narcoterrorism |
Insurance of terrorism |
The Terrorist (film)External links, Resources, References
News
Information
Essays
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Terrorism."
Synonyms: TerrorismSynonyms: Political violence, Violence, Political. (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Fear | Intimidation, terrorism, reign of terror. |
Insolence | Impertinence; sauciness; Adjective: flippancy, dicacity, petulance, procacity, bluster; swagger, swaggering; Verb: bounce; terrorism. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Terrorism |
| English words defined with "terrorism": counterintelligence ♦ security intelligence ♦ terrorisation, terrorist, terrorization. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "terrorism": Bioterrorism ♦ First Special Service Force ♦ Green Berets ♦ serious crime ♦ US Army Special Forces, USA Patriot Act. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Terrorism" is also a word in the following language with the English translation in parentheses. Swedish (terrorism). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | The way I see the series is: each week we open with an authentic act of political terrorism taken on the spot, in the actual moment. (Network; writing credit: Paddy Chayefsky) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Terrorism (2003) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Trying to suppress Viet Cong terrorism.Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Rally to protest British terrorism in Northern Ireland : Ed Koch, William F. Ryan ...Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | Neither despotism, nor terrorism. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | B. anthracis is considered to be a likely agent for use in acts of biological terrorism. (references) | |
The organism has been considered as a potential agent for biological warfare and of biological terrorism. (references) | ||
Recently, considerable attention has been focused on the potential for B. anthracis to be used in acts of biologic terrorism. (references) | ||
Business | It views with concern Iran's support for terrorism and efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction. (references) | |
Egypt received considerable negative publicity following a series of terrorist attacks, most notably the Luxor tragedy of 1997. However, the reality is that terrorism in Egypt has almost vanished, owing in part to a much stronger and more aggressive security presence throughout the country since the Luxor attack. (references) | ||
Children | United Kingdom | Under the 2000 Prevention of Terrorism Act, the police can arrest and detain children as young as 10 years of age for up to 7 days, although no children were detained under the act during the year. (references) |
Turkey | In the past, the migration--forced or voluntary--of many families, past terrorism against teachers, and school closings in the southeast uprooted children and moved them to cities that were hard pressed to find the resources to provide basic, mandatory services such as schooling. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Philippines | The ASG, which from time to time makes claims to a political or religious motivation, continued to engage in terrorism for profit. (references) |
Economic History | North Korea | The D.P.R.K. has made several statements condemning terrorism. (references) |
Yemen | The PDRY was placed on the list of nations that support terrorism. (references) | |
Czech Rep | The Czech lands have never had a history of political violence or terrorism. (references) | |
Human Rights | Spain | A judge may authorize incommunicado detention for terrorism suspects. (references) |
Colombia | Judge Lopera was trying terrorism, narcotics, and paramilitarism cases. (references) | |
Uzbekistan | During 1999 and 2000, many other individuals were convicted of terrorism. (references) | |
Minorities | China | Because the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region Government regularly lists together those involved in "ethnic separatism, illegal religious activities, and violent terrorism," it is often unclear whether particular raids, detentions, arrests, or judicial punishments target those peacefully seeking their political goals or those engaged in violence. (references) |
Political Economy | Israel | Two major political issues affect the business climate in Israel: regional instability and terrorism. (references) |
Uae | The UAE views with concern Iran's support for terrorism and its efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction. (references) | |
Trade | Syria | Syria appears on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. (references) |
Syria | Because Syria remains on the list of state supporters of terrorism, U.S. Eximbank and OPIC financing and insurance are unavailable to U.S. exporters. (references) | |
Thailand | OPIC insurance can be purchased to cover the following political risks: Currency inconvertibility - the inability to convert profits, debt service and other remittances from local currency into U.S. dollars; Expropriation - the loss of an investment due to expropriation, nationalization or confiscation by a foreign government; Political Violence - the loss of assets or income due to war, revolution, insurrection or politically motivated civil strife, terrorism and sabotage. (references) | |
Travel | Spain | Terrorism does not pose a significant threat to Americans in Spain. (references) |
Spain | The only American casualty due to terrorism in Spain was a chance victim of a bombing directed at others. (references) | |
Latvia | SAFETY AND SECURITY: Civil unrest is not a problem in Riga and there have been no incidents of terrorism directed toward American interests. (references) | |
Worker Rights | Algeria | The decree defines as subversive acts, or acts of terrorism, offenses directed against the stability and normal functioning of institutions through any action taken with the intention of "obstructing the operation of establishments providing public service" or of "impeding traffic or freedom of movement in public places." The Government claimed that the Decree is not directed against the right to strike or the right to organize and has never been used against workers exercising the right to strike peacefully. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Al Hunt | Congressman, let me return to your trip to the Middle East. As well as Israel, you also went to four Arab countries, and you specifically praised the Egyptians for the help they've offered in our war against terrorism. |
Bill Maher | We are opening a new front in the war on terrorism. American troops are headed to the Philippines to disrupt a Muslim rebel group there and get them back to doing what they should be doing, making Nikes for Americans. |
Donald Rumsfeld | Oh, I don't think it's quite that way. I think the president has said that anyone dealing with terrorism has to make a judgment and balance things as to how they do it and in what degrees they do it and where they do it and when they do it. |
House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner | Well, I don't think we should let the world know what criminal investigations are going on, particularly with respect to terrorism. |
John Walsh | I don't think terrorism is successful. I think that terrorism is successful in hurting people and destroying lives. |
Mark Shields | The other thing is that Henry Hyde did not join those who say this is a war for freedom and democracy, he said we are in bed with some pretty unsavory characters because it's a war against terrorism, and we ought to hold our nose and join arms. |
Robert Novak | Senator Breaux, the war on terrorism has not met a cessation of domestic politics and that I site the recent statement by the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe and let's put it up on the screen. |
Rush Limbaugh | President Bush is now leading a worldwide war against terrorism, focused presently on bin Laden, al Qaeda, and their Taliban sponsors. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | We have struggled with many to help free the region of both repression and terrorism. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | I will forward shortly legislative proposals to help combat terrorism. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Tonight, I call on our allies, and peace-loving nations around the world, to join us with renewed fervor in the global effort to combat terrorism. |
George W. Bush | 2001-2005 | The continuing threat of terrorism, the threat of mass murder on our own soil will be met with a unified, effective response. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Terrorism" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.13% of the time. "Terrorism" is used about 688 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 99.13% | 682 | 9,703 |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 0.87% | 6 | 143,867 |
| Total | 100.00% | 688 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "terrorism": terrorism-related. | |
Ending with "terrorism": anti-terrorism, counter-terrorism, narco-terrorism. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
terrorism | 2,635 |
war on terrorism | 263 |
awareness information terrorism | 80 |
anti terrorism | 75 |
counter terrorism | 71 |
cyber terrorism | 65 |
terrorism picture | 60 |
history of terrorism | 59 |
international terrorism | 59 |
domestic terrorism | 52 |
definition of terrorism | 43 |
war against terrorism | 35 |
terrorism insurance | 34 |
e fbi lashka taiba terrorism | 28 |
nuclear terrorism | 28 |
terrorism training | 22 |
terrorism news | 22 |
terrorism statistics | 21 |
cause of terrorism | 21 |
counter handbook terrorism | 21 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "terrorism"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | terrorizëm. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | حكم إرهابي, ذعر ناشئ عن الإرهاب, إرهاب (terrorization). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | тероризъм. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 恐怖主义. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | terorismus, hrùzovláda (tyranny). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | terrorisme. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | terrorisme. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Esperanto | terorismo. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Farsi | ایجادترس ووحشت درمردم , ارعابگری . (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | terrorismi. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | terrorisme. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Terrorismus. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | τρομοκρατία. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | אימת ות, אלימות (aggression, terror, violence), בריו ות (hooliganism, ruffianism), טרור (terror). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | terrorizmus, rémuralom. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | terrorisme, penggentaran (vibrating). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | terrorismo. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 脅迫 (coercion, menace, threat). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | テロリズ , テロ (terror), きょうはく (coercion, compelling, menace, threat, using duress). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Korean | 공포 치. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | ym-agglaghey, atchimys. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Papiamen | terorismo. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | errorismtay terrorismo (reign of terror, terror). (various references) terorism. (various references) терроризм (terrorization). (various references) terorizam. (various references) terrorismo. (various references) terrorism. (various references) terörizm. (various references) terrorizm (r). (various references) тероризм. (various references) chính sách khủng bố. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "terrorism": terrorisms. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "terrorism": antiterrorism, counterterrorism, ecoterrorism. (additional references) | |
Words containing "terrorism": antiterrorisms, counterterrorisms, ecoterrorisms. (additional references) | |
| |
"Terrorism" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: terroism, terrorise, terrorisim, terrorisme, terrorum. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "terrorism" (pronounced te"reri'zum) |
| 6 | -r er i' z u m | counterterrorism. |
| 5 | -er i' z u m | adventurism, amateurism, aphorism, barbarism, boosterism, consumerism, futurism, mannerism, mesmerism, militarism, monetarism, plagiarism, secularism, voluntarism. |
| 4 | -i' z u m | abolitionism, absenteeism, absolutism, activism, agrarianism, alcoholism, altruism, anachronism, aneurism, animism, antagonism, astigmatism, atavism, atheism, authoritarianism, autism, baptism, bilingualism, bolshevism, botulism, cannibalism, capitalism, catechism, centralism, chauvinism, classicism, collectivism, colonialism, commercialism, communism, conservatism, corporatism, creationism, criticism, cronyism, cubism, cynicism, dandyism, defeatism, deism, despotism, determinism, diamagnetism, diastrophism, dimorphism, dogmatism, Druidism, dualism, dwarfism, dynamism, egalitarianism, egoism, egotism, electromagnetism, elitism, embolism, emotionalism, empiricism, entrepreneurialism, environmentalism, ergotism, eroticism, escapism, ethnocentrism, euphemism, evangelism, expansionism, expressionism, extremism, factionalism, fanaticism, fascism, fatalism, favoritism, federalism, feminism, ferromagnetism, fetishism, feudalism, formalism, fundamentalism, geotropism, gnosticism, gradualism, hedonism, helotism, heroism, hooliganism, humanism, hypnotism, idealism, illusionism, imperialism, impressionism, incrementalism, individualism, intellectualism, internationalism, interventionism, Irredentism, isolationism, isomorphism, jingoism, journalism, leftism, legalism, lesbianism, liberalism, lyricism, magnetism, masochism, materialism, mechanism, mercantilism, metabolism, methodism, microorganism, minimalism, modernism, monasticism, monism, monotheism, moralism, multiculturalism, multilateralism, mutualism, mysticism, narcissism, nationalism, nativism, naturalism, negativism, nepotism, neutralism, nihilism, obstructionism, opportunism, optimism, organism, ostracism, overoptimism, pacifism, paganism, parallelism, parkinsonism, parochialism, pastoralism, paternalism, patriotism, perfectionism, pessimism, pharisaism, pietism, pluralism, polymorphism, polytheism, populism, positivism, pragmatism, professionalism, protectionism, provincialism, puritanism, racialism, racism, radicalism, realism, recidivism, relativism, republicanism, revisionism, rheumatism, romanticism, sadism, satanism, sectarianism, sensationalism, separatism, sexism, skepticism, socialism, statism, stoicism, supernaturalism, surrealism, symbolism, synergism, territorialism, theism, tokenism, totalitarianism, tourism, truism, unionism, vandalism, vegetarianism, vigilantism, volunteerism, voyeurism. |
| 3 | -z u m | bosom, careerism, chasm, cytoplasm, enthusiasm, iconoclasm, ism, microcosm, neoplasm, orgasm, phantasm, prism, sarcasm, schism, spasm. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "e-i-m-o-r-r-r-s-t" | |
-1 letter: mortiser, stormier. | |
-2 letters: erotism, mirrors, moister, mortise, retrims, rioters, roister, sorrier, stirrer, termors, terrors, tremors, trimers, trisome. | |
-3 letters: errors, isomer, merits, metros, mirror, mister, miters, mitres, moires, morris, ormers, remits, resort, retrim, retros, rimers, rimose, rioter, rosier, roster, smiter, somite, sorter, sortie, termor, terror, timers, tories, tremor, triers, trimer, triose. | |
-4 letters: emirs, emits, error, items, merit, metis, metro, mires, miser, miter, mites, mitre, moire, moist, mores, morse, morts, moste, motes, omers, omits, ormer, orris, osier, remit, retro, rimer, rimes, riots, riser, rites, roset, rotes, rotis, smite, smote, sorer, stime, store, storm, terms, tiers, timer, times, tires, tiros, tomes, tores, torse, torsi, trier, tries, trims, trios, trois. | |
-5 letters: emir, emit, eros, errs, erst, ires, item, mire, mirs, mise, miso, mist, mite, more, mors, mort, most, mote, mots, omer, omit, ores, orts, reis, rems, rest, rets, rime, rims, riot, rise, rite, roes, roms, rose, rote, roti, rots, semi, sire, site, smit, some, sore, sori, sort, stem, stir, term, tier, ties, time, tire, tiro, toes, tome, toms, tore, tori, torr, tors, trim, trio. | |
| Words containing the letters "e-i-m-o-r-r-r-s-t" | |
+1 letter: terrorisms. | |
+3 letters: arteriograms, brainstormer, ecoterrorism, respirometer, respirometry. | |
+4 letters: antiterrorism, brainstormers, ecoterrorisms, metrorrhagias, reformatories, respirometers, respirometric. | |
+5 letters: antiterrorisms, interferograms, microstructure, respirometries, retransforming, rutherfordiums, territorialism. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)54 65 72 72 6F 72 69 73 6D |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
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| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
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| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
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Morse Code (1836) (references)- . .-. .-. --- .-. .. ... -- |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01010100 01100101 01110010 01110010 01101111 01110010 01101001 01110011 01101101 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)T e r r o r i s m |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0054 0065 0072 0072 006F 0072 0069 0073 006D |
| British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)
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Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)547184848184758579 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Quotations: Fiction | 9. Quotations: Non-fiction 10. Quotations: Spoken 11. Quotations: Speeches 12. Usage Frequency | 13. Expressions 14. Expressions: Internet 15. Translations: Modern 16. Derivations | 17. Rhymes 18. Anagrams 19. Orthography 20. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
