ABSTRACT
Terrorism has been a recurring theme in some areas of the world, even when it has occurred in different contexts. While some countries have experienced a particular type of terrorist violence over the course of many years, such as the activities of the ETA in Spain, other countries seem to have been prone to terrorist activities by different groups seeking different objectives. In fact, there appears to be a trend toward greater complexity. Countries in some regions are increasingly facing violent dissidents belonging to groups with different objectives (Wilkinson 2000b : 4). A number of countries have faced waves of terrorist activity. Sri Lanka has suffered from terrorist violence intended to achieve a variety of political objectives. Iraq more recently has been affl icted with terrorism originating from multiple groups at the same time, often with different-and even contradictory-objectives that have resulted in higher levels of turmoil in that country.
