h the French revolution and ending in the present day. From there we can discuss the motives behind the violence, what leads these groups to such fanatical means and what was their desired goal. In doing this we can more clearly examine what terrorism is

Many of the ideas expressed above have been considered quite controversial. Namely Pillar’s belief in America’s stance on dealing with terrorists. The United States has a long-standing policy not to cooperate with terrorist demands, to try and bring them to justice and to apply pressure to states that harbor and sponsor terrorists. The government suggests that it can identify states that sponsor terror while Pillar believes that it is not that simple. The government refuses to cooperate with terrorist demands and Pillar thinks that sometimes this is beneficial both in limiting further terror and bolstering U.S. interests. Bringing terrorists to justice is an idea that Pillar suggests could cause further attacks and not really address the problem. The one idea that Pillar does seem agree with is the policy of using other countries as our allies in our struggle. But even this has its problems, mainly, whom can we really trust and whom will we really benefit from? Pillar’s belief!

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.

s obviously contradict those of the U.S government. But he assures that selectivity is the best means to achieve the goals. He does not offer a solution to terrorism. The book merely states cautionary measures, which he believes the U.S. is not taking. This draws a lot of fire from those who strongly support the government and the policies, which it holds against terror. Being in opposition to the government is always a place where one may find one’s self criticized.

The final area to be discussed is the motives behind terror, why does it happen and what mentality is needed to implement it. Terrorism is always used in the pursuit of power (Hoffman 183). Terrorists use violence to dominate and coerce their audience in order to gain political power. In searching for answers as to why terrorists commit these acts one must examine a few topics of interest. First, we will discuss whether or not terrorism is logical or psychotic behavior. Then, focus on some of groups and their ideological motives, namely religious groups, leftists groups and state terror in Nazi Germany. In doing this we will gain a better picture of why terrorists resort to violent acts.

Terrorism is not a new concept. It was not birthed in the events of September 11th. It has a long and violent history that has taken many forms over the years. In order to fully understand the evolution of terrorism we must discuss a few of its key components from history. First, the French revolution and the regime de la terreur and how it influenced Leftist Marxism and State terror in the Soviet Union. Also, the evolution of religious fanaticism will be discussed. We will also discuss how terror itself has changed in the areas of strategy and tools of the trade. Let us not be confused by other violent episodes in history, which took the form of guerrilla warfare or civil war. These events, while they were bloody, were not terrorism (Laqueur 8).

There are two dominant theories in the psychological study of terror that must be discussed. One is that of Martha Crenshaw who believes that terrorism is political strategy that can be explained logically (Reich 8). Crenshaw states that even extreme terrorism follows logical processes that can be discovered and explained. She believes that terrorist violence is justified in the mind of the terrorist as being logical. In other words, the move to violence and the motives behind it are strategic and the choice to employ them is

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