Thread: Terrorism
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Old 05-05-2007, 10:24 PM   #4 (permalink)
hiredgun
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I take it that by terrorism you mean, more or less, the deliberate targeting of civilians in an attempt to undermine morale and coerce a political objective when direct (military) means don't suffice.

On the one hand, no, I don't think the targeting of civilians is justified.

On the other hand, it seems kind of arbitrary to make a distinction between the targeting of civilians and the death of civilians (however 'unintentional'). When 'legitimate' military actions carry a high probability of civilian deaths, then militaries are effectively targeting civilians, more or less.

In the end, the behaviors usually referred to as 'terrorism' are of course extremely problematic. We can't sit around justifying it and must find ways to diminish it. But I think the tactic of portraying terrorism as something entirely alien - something new, different, and horrible on a scale other than that of 'normal' violence - is intellectually misguided.
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