ABSTRACT
Most governments perceive terrorists as criminals. Terrorists themselves, on the other hand, often claim to be waging war. The reasons why a politically committed person finds it difficult to accept any precise definition or description of terrorism are as follows: First, under a wide definition of terrorism the label is not necessarily derogatory. Second, on any reasonable definition, even a very narrow one, it will turn out that several states and other non-revolutionary organisations, including some of those on the same side as the politically committed individual himself, will logically have to be classified as terrorist. Terrorism is an essentially political activity; its aims are political aims. Thus the purpose of state terrorism is to disable internal or external groups perceived as enemies; the purpose of revolutionary terrorism is to overthrow governments; and the purpose of assassination is to force a change of policies, rulers or ministers.
