Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"Terrorism is like pornography - people know it when they see it. One of the modern pioneers of the study of terrorism, Brian Jenkins, once wryly observed: 'Terrorism is what the bad guys do.' This notion still holds true, and the result is both the overuse and the underuse of the 'terrorist' label.

"Getting it wrong is risky. One of the first Sunni-jihadist-linked attacks in the United States was the 1990 murder of extremist rabbi Meir Kahane, who founded the Jewish Defense League. El Sayyid Nosair was charged with the murder, but the attack was treated as a simple crime, and Nosair escaped conviction. He went on to try to kill thousands of people as part of the 1993 attempt to bomb the World Trade Center.

"[...]

"The overuse of the 'terrorism' label is even more dangerous. Terrorist attacks, by design, foster fear, and if we blame terrorists whenever blood spills, we artificially make the perpetrators stronger. A terrorism charge also brings broader national security concerns to any act of violence, possibly leading to more restrictions on civil liberties. And while foreign terrorists unite Americans in defiance, political violence at home can divide us. [...]"

-- Daniel L. Byman, 2011-01-14 [thanks to fidhle for directing my attention to it]