The concept of terrorism as a security issue in international relations

Abstract

Despite the strong feelings that the word terrorism arouses, there is little consciousness of what the term really implies. The abstract nature of the issue at hand has resulted in limited consensus, even among scholars, on the delimitation of the significance of the word. The difficulty lies in the subjective essence of the phenomenon. What one individual deems as terrorism, may be interpreted as a legitimate struggle by another in a diverse cultural and political setting. The very distinct and numerous acts of violence, which the world has witnessed, have frequently been interpreted as terrorism, by politicians, heads of state, the media, the victims themselves and public opinion in general. This flawed conception has further retarded the formulation of one definition of terrorism that suits all, such a possibility even exists.