7 Comments
User's avatar
Mario Pasquato's avatar

Why would you classify targeting politicians or other public figures of an enemy nation as not terrorism? I believe I would, though I cannot put my finger on it as to why.

Expand full comment
blank's avatar

"Terrorism, as I understand it, is deliberately killing or harming innocents, or those who are innocents, as far as you know, in order to achieve political ends."

The obvious weakness of this definition is that it defines war as terrorism. Terrorism is usually reserved for non state actors because the state can hope to arrest terrorists. If war is the problem, then what are you going to do, arrest a country? Lol.

Expand full comment
Philosophy bear's avatar

How does this definition imply that war generally is terrorism?

Expand full comment
blank's avatar

War almost always involves the deliberate harming of innocents to achieve political ends.

Expand full comment
Philosophy bear's avatar

Deliberately harming civilians, as opposed to harming them as an unwanted by-product of achieving some other end, is a grave war crime, frequently committed but not at all necessary for war

Expand full comment
blank's avatar

What happens to be an unwanted by-product vs deliberate harm is very much at the whims of political propaganda and activism. As is the case in Israel vs Palestine at the moment.

Expand full comment
Loftyloops's avatar

Correct. And even more so if you consider that “deliberate” can appear at any point in the chain of command.

Expand full comment