Verified Document

International Definitions Of Terrorism Essay

Terrorism The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks marked a moment in history that will forever change the way the world views terrorism. Because of the attacks, if one is labeled a terrorist in the present day, or is accused of an act of terrorism, these words carry far more severe consequences than it would have in the past. Along with altered responses to terrorism, domestic and international law has altered policy towards terrorism, leading to an evolution of antiterrorism efforts. But what defines a terrorist in the eyes of the world? What types of terrorism exist? Ultimately there are general causes and effects of terrorism. This essay hopes to understand such things and recognize terrorist activity in the present day. Research will also highlight past and will help shed light on whether or not international response is necessary. Since terrorism is a global concern, international response may be crucial to resolving such a troubling issue.

When looking to define terrorism internationally, it is important to see how countries define their own counterterrorism laws. India, the United Kingdom, and the United States have definitions of terrorism that fall under several domestic laws. These laws were repurposed from a legislative framework to another and expanded through application post 9/11. This means that the definition of terrorism within the law may be seen with instances of overreaching in relating the label of terrorist or terrorism to a person or activity (Smith, 2015).

One of the reasons it may be difficult to find a set international definition of terrorism is because of the inability of the United Nations to properly define terrorism in a comprehensive way. What is clear however, are the various consequences of labeling someone a terrorist. Once a person is labeled a terrorist, in America as well as other countries, there are severe consequences ranging...

While the U.N. has not provided a clear definition of a terrorist, it has provided the framework from which countries must respond when faced with terrorist activities or suspected terrorists. "After the adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373, even countries that generally treated acts of terrorism as ordinary criminal matters were moved to define terrorism, if only to comply with Resolution 1373's mandate" (Setty, 2011, p. 3).
Resolution 1373 has forced countries to strengthen their counterterrorism efforts. Countries like India, the United States, and England/UK, have altered their policies in order to adapt to the number of growing terrorist threats in recent years. However, because there is no global comprehensive definition of terrorism, the world can't act in unity against terrorism. Numerous scholars suggest the lack of universal definition hinder counterterrorist operations, limiting the effectiveness of both domestic and international lawmaking efforts to counter any kind of terrorist activity, at the same time fulfilling human rights duties (Saul, 2012, p. 38).

Some of the reasons international definition of terrorism has reached a standstill is because some countries want to exempt colonial uprisings and freedom fighting from terrorism as well as state-sponsored actions. With no universal definition of terrorism, the UN passed Security Council Resolution 1566 in 2004 that provides general acts and descriptions of what may fall under terrorist activity. Resolution 1566 attempts to give a partial definition of terrorism. " ... criminal acts, including against civilians, committed with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury, or taking of hostages, with the purpose to provoke a state of terror in the general public or in a group of persons or particular persons,…

Sources used in this document:
References

Coolsaet, R. (2011). Jihadi Terrorism and the Radicalisation Challenge: European and American Experiences. Ashgate Publishing Group.

Jenkins, B., & Butterworth, B. (2015). Troubling Trends in Terrorism and Attacks on Surface Transportation: The Outlook Is Grim, but People Still Have a Great Deal of Control. Retrieved from http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1153&context=mti_publications

Kucukaltan, D. (2006). Tourism and terrorism. New York: iUniverse.com.

Saul, B. (2012). Terrorism. Oxford: Hart Pub.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Terrorism Organizations What Is Terrorism Legacy in
Words: 1768 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

Terrorism Organizations What is Terrorism? Legacy in the 21st century Based Terrorist Organizations Aryan Nation Ku Klux Klan Counterterrorism and Prevention Definitions and Structures Homeland Security Patriot Act The very nature of terrorism, of course, is to engender fear and panic into the population base. Thus, targets are so numerous that complete protection of all is impossible. Targets could include any of the governmental buildings in Washington, D.C., courthouses or public buildings in major cities, malls, churches, and transportation centers

Terrorism Encyclopedias and Dictionaries Define
Words: 4573 Length: 15 Document Type: Term Paper

At times terrorist succeed and at times they fail. Some times they have larger and long-term goal and some times they have short-term aims. For example, a group hijacking a plane wanted some immediate results like release of the prisoners or financial gain but blowing a plane into a building would definitely mean that terrorists wanted something big out of it. Sometimes terrorists want to just cause panic and

International Organizations Since the End
Words: 2279 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

Nonetheless these actions and missions had to have the agreement of the national states. Therefore, the strategy implied a complex relation between the transnational and the national levels. At the same time however, the health problems that could have arisen in the area demanded cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization. Therefore it is obvious that such situations as a national disaster or a war

Terrorism From an International Governance View
Words: 2643 Length: 8 Document Type: Research Paper

Terrorism in Relation to International Governance The 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States highlighted the global threat of terrorism since it changed the ways in which the world views terrorism. Actually, the attacks demonstrated the evolution of the threat of terrorism that has become a major security threat across the globe. Given the global dimension of terrorism, state actors and the international community has become increasingly concerned and developed various

Terrorism Define and Contrast the Many Definitions
Words: 3070 Length: 11 Document Type: Research Paper

Terrorism The term "terrorism" is profoundly political, as can be seen by the numerous definitions of terrorism and the lack of a globally-agreed description. The myriad definitions show nations struggling to define "terrorism" in self-serving ways. Efforts to clarify and unify those definitions vary from legalistic to nearly bombastic. After listing many definitions from different nations and from within the United States, itself, this paper examines a legalistic attempt to lay

Terrorism Influences
Words: 1759 Length: 5 Document Type: Research Paper

Terrorism Influences Terrorism has no specific definition and its definition largely depends upon the viewpoint of an individual for example Samuel Adams (a well-known revolutionary fireband) or Thomas Gefferson would have been terrorist from British perspective but they have been Great heroes from American perspective. Take the case of George Washington who was previously fighting with British army against French and was loyalist of British crown but later on he sought

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now