The trouble with terror: The apologetics of terrorism - A refutation

Tamar Meisels*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

This essay warns against a recent philosophical confusion concerning the definition of "terrorism, which has dominated the post 9/11 literature. Terrorism, it is suggested, is nothing but the intentional random murder of defenseless non-combatants, with the intent of instilling fear of mortal danger amidst a civilian population as a strategy designed to advance political ends. Furthermore, this essay argues that regardless of its "root cause, terrorism is diametrically opposed to the requirements of liberal morality and can only be defended at the expense of relinquishing the most basic of liberal commitments.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)465-483
Number of pages19
JournalTerrorism and Political Violence
Volume18
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Sep 2006

Keywords

  • Assassination
  • Civilians
  • Combatants
  • Guerrilla
  • Israel
  • Terror
  • Terrorism

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The trouble with terror: The apologetics of terrorism - A refutation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this