Terorrism vs counter terrorism:War without end. The essay is to be 3 pages with three to five sources, with in-text citations and a reference page.

According to authors David Barash and Charles Webel, “Any actual or threatened attack against civilian noncombatants may be considered an act of “terrorism.” Some may disagree with this definition as it could be said that any armed force using force against noncombatants for the purpose of coercing them is terrorism,

which would in fact include the United States. They continue with their definition, “Terrorists are people who typically feel unable to confront their perceived enemies directly and who accordingly use violence, or the threat of violence, against noncombatants to achieve their political aims” (Barash, Webel, 44). Of course these are their definitional approaches and they go on to show the various definitions also in use by various agencies or individuals for the purposes of study.

Regardless, the idea is that terrorism has existed as long as humans have had conflicts and wars. This is made clear by the authors, and the further I read into this chapter the more I begin to understand how they could come up with the definition they coined at the beginning of the chapter. For the United States a terrorist wears burkas and turbans and lives in the Middle East, however, for those in other parts of the world a terrorist could be seen as the very army we here in the States believe is “saving them.” An interesting approach and idea to be sure, one that should surely give the average individual pause should they consider it. The more salient point to be made is that terrorism is a political entity, purely political, and the goals of the terrorist are they state based or individual groups are in every case political in nature.

In a historical context the authors include the original modern usage of the term terrorist, which came from the end of the French Revolution by the new government and was done with approval as it was a method used to counter subversive elements within the new state of France.