Terrorism

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Terrorism, despite considerable disagreement about a precise definition,^[1][2][3][4] is often considered to be deliberate^[5] violence^[6] or the threat of violence^[7] directed at innocent^[8][9] non-combatants^[8] and governments^[7] to cause fear^[6] systematically^[10] to attract media attention^[11] for causes which may be political^[5][3][6] or ideological^[7] or religious^[7] and which are viewed as coercive.^[7][10][12] An act which meets many or all of these criteria is often considered to be terrorism. There is considerable disagreement about whether the term can describe government or religious leaders and whether the term should be extended to include wartime acts. Further, the distinction between terrorism and crime is hard to specify.^[13][14]

The term is charged politically and emotionally and has strong negative connotations.^[15] Its meaning often depends on the ideology of the user and the context of its use. Studies have found more than one hundred definitions of the term.^[16][17] At present, there is no internationally agreed-upon definition. Governments have described opponents as terrorists to delegitimize them.^[18][19] Some suggest that the term terrorist is so fraught with conceptual problems that a better term would be violent non-state actor.^{[20][5][citation needed]} Terrorism has a long history and has been practiced by both right-wing and left-wing political parties, nationalistic groups, religious groups, revolutionaries, criminals, and others.^[21]