Dimensions of Terrorism

Book excerpt: Dimensions of Terrorism sets out to establish some of the contours of modern terrorism. The articles do not provide all of the answers to what is and is not terrorism. They are not necessarily of a unified vision of what constitutes terrorism, but taken as a group, the difficulties of determining its limits and nature are given significant illumination. The authors address several major themes within terrorism: its definition, whether it is a distinct species of political violence or an extension of other forms of activity such as low-intensity warfare, differing manifestations of terrorism, the question of whether it is a new form of the phenomena that has emerged since the end of the Cold War, to whom the use of the technique is most likely to appeal and the character of persons who implement terror.