What is Wrong with Terrorism?
by There are reasons for terrorism being used as a means of achieving specific political, military, nationalist, social, and even religious objectives by individuals and groups who wish to alter the present international relations system. Terrorism has already existed for a couple of centuries, invoking mixed responses from those individuals and organisations that support its use, and those that believe terrorism and its use is wrong for various reasons.
There are political, social, moral, legal, and also religious reasons for arguing that terrorism and the use of terrorist strategies is wrong. Some of the things that are argued to be wrong with terrorism could be regarded as being viewed objectively, whilst other reasons are based upon subjective viewpoints. Terrorism is a feature of the modern military situations and is an important factor in the contemporary international relations system that receives different reactions from different people depending on their personal circumstances as well as their beliefs. Terrorism will probably remain a long-term feature of the international relations system, as it seems to be a viable means for individuals and groups to achieve their aims.
One aspect of terrorism that makes it wrong is that it is in almost every set of circumstances and in all nation states illegal. The individuals, groups, and organisations that use terrorism are generally well aware that using such techniques to achieve their objectives will mean that they are deemed to be using illegal methods and considered by many outsiders to be wrong to do so (Brown with Ainley, 2005 p. 5). Terrorism is frequently made illegal and therefore logically it is wrong as it is regarded as being destabilising for the internal and external security of nation states. All individuals, groups, and organisations which resort to terrorism would need to defeat nation states, or at the very least persuade those states to give into their demands by making or threatening to make terrorist attacks (Evans & Newnham, 1998 p. 530).
National governments and legal systems in virtually all circumstances outlaw bombings, murders, and organised crime activities in order to protect their law abiding citizens as well as enhancing their own national security. Of course the whole point of terrorism is to terrorise ordinary people into pressurising their governments to give into the demands of individuals, groups, and organisations that use terrorism as their main strategy to achieve their over all objectives (Townshend, 2005 p. 19).
From a slightly different perspective terrorism can be regarded as being wrong because it has the ability to undermine the internal as well as the external security of nation states to force concessions from their governments. The governments of nation states do not wish to have their national security undermined yet can certainly be vulnerable to terrorism and the tactics used by individuals, groups, and organisations that use such methods to attack nation states from within or from bordering countries (Brown with Ainley, 2005 p. 5).
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