NCJ Number
169834
Editor(s)
C Gearty
Date Published
1996
Length
603 pages
Annotation
A series of 22 papers on terrorism focus on the problem of definition, international law, the moral right to rebel, terrorist tactics, and the nature and effect of subversive violence in its historical and political contexts.
Abstract
Three papers on the "intractable problem of definition" note that definitions of "terrorism" are based in the perspectives of those defining it, such that the very term "terrorism" implies an ideological position toward a group or a particular violent act. Under this view, the designation of "terrorist," with the moral judgment that it entails, should be regarded as an inevitable consequence of any violent challenge to a status quo situation, whatever the degree of immorality involved. Three papers on the content and application of international law regarding terrorism consider the five broad categories of international law relevant to terrorism: multilateral treaties that focus on specific types of acts; bilateral extradition treaties; special rules for political offenders on a regional basis; the application of the rules of war; and Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which forbids the use of force in international relations except in the exercise of the "inherent right of individual or collective self- defense if an armed attack occurs." Three papers examine the moral right to rebel and use violence in countering perceived injustice, with attention to whether such a right can ever be morally justified in a liberal democratic state. The "tactics, theater, and terror of subversive violence" are addressed in five papers, followed by eight papers on the historical and political contexts of subversive violence. The latter essays analyze specific violent rebellions in Spain, Northern Ireland, Italy, the German Federal Republic, Khalistan, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East. Footnotes and a name index