NCJ Number
136318
Journal
Studies in Conflict and Terrorism Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: (January-March 1992) Pages: 1-11
Date Published
1992
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This essay first identifies common problems for research on terrorism and then discusses the relationship between the phenomenon of terrorism and other manifestions of political violence; the general theories of violence most applicable to terrorism are identified along with future directions for research on terrorism.
Abstract
The central problem for terrorism research is disagreement over the definitions of terms. Still in dispute is whether "terrorism" includes State action as well as action against a State. Another unresolved dilemma is whether the concept of political violence should be reserved for destructive harm intended to influence politics or whether the concept should include any violence that has a political impact. The issue of intentionality also raises questions about the justifiability of violence and similarly of terrorism. Most definitions of terrorism, although they disagree on many points, generally agree that it is a form of political violence. This rare unanimity, however, has only infrequently been the foundation for research on political terrorism, which is typically separated from the broader field. There are advantages in the integration of research on terrorism into the analysis of political violence. The study of terrorism, which is widely recognized as theoretically impoverished, stands to gain in theoretical scope, precision, and cumulativeness of findings. Placement of terrorism study in the broader field of political violence could point analysts toward problems of significance to a larger community of scholars. Moreover, the phenomenon of terrorism might serve as a useful test case for general theories of violence, which are rarely applied to terrorism by their authors. Suggestions for future research on terrorism place it in the context of research on political violence. 27 notes