From Terror to Terrorism: the Logic on the Roots of Selective Political Violence

As a phenomenon, terrorism is very much in fashion. It is media-sexy and rises strong emotions. It is therefore en excellent element in political rhetoric. In the last decades – to be more exact, after the end of the Cold War – the "terrorism talk" has been a useful spice for rhetoric, often in collocation with Islam, separatist movements, "civilizations" and their "clashes", "globalization", and generally with all the world's problems, or issues seen as problems.

Linking something or someone with terrorism has become a standard piece of derogatory propaganda. Almost any nasty or controversial activity, especially if it's some form of political violence, is eagerly called "terrorism" in today's rhetoric. Everybody now wishes to present their enemies as terrorists. However, this kind of conditioning, at its worst, can seriously harm the task of understanding real terrorist movements, and thereby also make it more difficult to fight them. ©www.heku.ru