Terrorism

Jeff Goodwin

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

    Abstract

    When states or armed rebels indiscriminately attack civilians, they generally attack civilians who support and/or have a substantial capacity to influence opposing states or rebel movements. Overthrowing, defeating or strongly pressuring such states or movements is the primary goal of terrorism, which is thus a kind of indirect warfare. 'Categorical' terrorism - violence against a whole category of non-combatants - will generally be employed against non-combatants who support states or rebel movements that themselves perpetrate extensive, indiscriminate violence against non-combatants who support their armed enemies. By contrast, categories of civilians which include significant numbers of allies or potential allies (or which can be strongly influenced by non-violent appeals or protests) will not be attacked by states or rebels.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Title of host publicationThe Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Political Sociology
    PublisherJohn Wiley and Sons
    Pages190-203
    Number of pages14
    ISBN (Print)9781444330939
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Jul 20 2012

    Keywords

    • Armed struggle, three types
    • Conventional and guerrilla warfare
    • Explanation of terrorism, requiring clear definitions
    • Rebel organizations, in contexts of extreme state violence
    • Relational theory of terrorism
    • Structure of symmetrically terror-prone conflict
    • Terrorism
    • Terrorism, by states or rebels and ideological moderates
    • Terrorism, violence against or infliction of suffering
    • Two theories of terrorism

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Social Sciences(all)

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