Terrorism

Terrorism is broadly defined as the use of violence by a non-state actor to pursue a political end or to intimidate civilians. Although there is no universally recognized definition for terrorism as codified through international law, national and international agencies employ workable understandings of terrorism to cooperate meaningfully on counterterrorism efforts.

U.N. Member States have not reached a consensus on the definition of terrorism. Nonetheless, several U.N. treaties—including the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (1999) and Security Council Resolution 1566 (2004)—provide a catalog of terrorist acts and establish that states have an obligation to prosecute or extradite the perpetrators. The U.N. Security Council meanwhile requires Member States to take actions to counter terrorist groups ISIS and al-Qaeda, as well as their affiliated groups, entities, and individuals.

While the United Nations has not settled on a definition of terrorism, some international bodies have managed to reach a consensus. The European Union, for example, has defined terrorist acts as those committed with the aim of “seriously intimidating a population,” “unduly compelling a government or international organisation to perform or abstain from performing any act,” or “seriously destabilising or destroying the fundamental political, constitutional, economic or social structures of a country or an international organisation.”

Governments define terrorism on a national level through their respective criminal codes and legislation. Within in the United States, definitions may even vary by body or agency. The U.S. Criminal Code, for example, defines terrorism as “premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employs a slightly different definition of terrorism, calling it “the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”

Although definitions of terrorism may vary between agencies and governments, shared characteristics between definitions of terrorism have allowed for inter-organizational cooperation at the national, regional, and international levels. Commonalities between definitions and objectives have allowed international bodies to work collaboratively to counter al-Qaeda and ISIS, among other international terrorist organizations.

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Al-Qaeda

Osama bin Laden founded al-Qaeda during the latter stages of the Soviet-Afghan War with the goal of waging global jihad. Since its founding in 1988, al-Qaeda has played a role in innumerable terrorist attacks, and is most notoriously responsible for the multiple attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. The 9/11 terror attacks—the deadliest ever on American soil—left nearly 3,000 people dead and provoked the United States to wage war against al-Qaeda in the group’s home bases in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other sanctuaries worldwide. Since then, the group has established four major regional affiliates pledging their official allegiance to al-Qaeda: in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, East Africa, and the Indian subcontinent.

ISIS

ISIS is an extremist group formed from al-Qaeda offshoots in Iraq and Syria. Despite major territorial setbacks, particularly in Mosul, ISIS works to sustain a self-declared caliphate in eastern Syria and western Iraq. Ultimately, ISIS seeks to unite the world under a single caliphate, and to that end the group has begun to establish satellite operations in nine countries. Initially, ISIS gained support within Iraq as a Sunni insurgency group fighting what some Sunnis viewed as a partisan Shiite-led Iraqi government. The group has since garnered additional momentum as a result of the Syrian civil war, and has recruited up to 33,000 fighters from around the world. Thousands of foreign ISIS fighters are estimated to have been killed in battle, while some have returned—or are reportedly planning to return—to their home countries.

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Daily Dose

Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.

Fact:

On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers. 

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