Diplomacy and Conflict • Guerrilla Warfare

Overview

Terrorism is the use of force by an organized group for the purpose of instilling fear or terror in a population. Typically, the violence is committed for a political purpose and targets civilians instead of military forces. Terrorist groups have committed such acts as airplane hijackings, bombings of civilian institutions or buildings, kidnappings, and assassinations of government officials. Scholars often distinguish the use of terrorism by nongovernmental groups from government-sponsored terrorism.