ABSTRACT
It has been emphasized throughout this study so far that terrorism, like most forms of organized violence, is used to produce certain effects in order to attain some objective.2 Specifically, terrorism is a strategy that aims to create a sense of fear amongst a particular target group for the purposes of communicating a political message.3 Unlike other conventionally understood strategies, or indeed, other insurgent-based strategies of guerrilla warfare, it does not seek to physically deny tangible assets to an enemy, such as a piece of territory, nor attempt the attrition of material resources. At base, a strategy of terrorism is intended not to kill or destroy for the sake of depriving a combatant of anything. Inherently, it is a strategy of inflicting costs.4 Terrorism is thus intended to effect political influence, a means of persuasion. The content of terrorist communication therefore normally involves the infliction or threat of violence to indicate to the target group that the costs of not acquiescing to political demands will outweigh the costs of concession.5 For the reasons we have outlined in this study already, a strategy of terrorism is, therefore, a kind of psychological warfare; a battle of wills played out in people’s minds.6
