Terrorism

But it is far more specific than that. We must break down the definition into its key elements in order to view it on a broader scope. .
             First, the most easily recognizable characteristic of terrorism is that they employ violence or the threat of violence in order to incite intimidation or as a tactic (Hoffman 14). They assassinate individuals, use explosives, kidnap and commit many other violent acts in order to incite fear within their objective audience and to charge themselves about their cause. Terrorism usually emanates out of a group, small or large, with a common ideology (Laqueur 5). They are usually self-selected and willfully engage in terror. Another key element that most scholars agree on is that terrorism is unlawful. In other words, on can be criminally penalized by their respective government for engaging in terrorist activities (Laqueur 5). This aspect cannot hold true to terrorism, which is practiced by states or that, is state sponsored because the state will not sanction itself or the people it employs. The next element is that terrorists have a distinct objective (Laqueur 79). Whether it is religious, political or economic, they plan to achieve a goal through their actions. The next aspect is that the actions of the terrorists are premeditated (Pillar 13). There is very little random violence. Terrorists always have an objective target. Whether they are unarmed civilians or figureheads who they believe oppose them, terrorists always have a target. .
             From these examinations of the elements of terrorism, we can create a working definition. We might say that terrorism is a group of people with a common political, religious, or economic ideology who employ illegal violence or the threat of violence as a tactic to intimidate an objective audience in order to meet their goals. This definition may be slightly broader than some and slightly more precise than others, however, it utilizes the basic components of terrorism in order to create a workable idea of what terrorism is.