Countering Suicide Terrorism - Essay Example

Force by itself is never going to be a solution for terrorism. Terrorism springs from the bosom of people or culture that feels marginalized. This feeling of being of no consequence in an ever developing world has been and remains the breeding ground for terrorism. Given the fact that terrorism is on the rise all around the world, posing a threat to the entire civilized world, it is but natural that solutions are sought to contain this menace. It is only a systematic analysis of terrorism and its growing face of suicide terrorism that will provide solutions for removing this hovering destructive menace of the twenty-first century.

There are several definitions to this complex issue of Terrorism. Some of the more meaningful definitions start with the simple definition coined in 1979, when the terrorism started making itself be felt around the world. This definition reads as “terrorism is the deliberate and systematic murder, maiming, and menacing of the innocent to inspire fear for political ends” (Harmon, 2000). Reid 2002, expands this definition to differentiate terrorism from acts of violence that occur during war, through calling terrorism as the practice of “a pattern of sudden violent or fear-inducing action against civilians, not part of a military action in declared war between nations”.

However the more comprehensive and most often cited definition is the one used by the U.S. State Department, Department of Defense, and the Central Intelligence Agency, which is as follows, “the term ‘terrorism’ means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant target by sub-national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience”. A terrorist group is any group or has a sub-group that indulges in terrorism. International terrorism occurs when terrorism involves more than one nation.

(Stevens, 2002). Terrorism is not an invention of the modern era. It