ABSTRACT
Terrorismoftenisinvokedintheartofstatecraftwhendiverse,conflicting, politicalperspectivesareproducedandatparticularhistoricalmoments becomesitesofintensestruggle.Whilehistoryisrepletewithsuchexamples ofmodemstatesintheprocessofformation,theHomofAfricaprovidesone ofthemoststrikingexamplesofsuchintensestruggle.Localdiversityis continuallysubjectedandoftensacrificedtoglobalprocessesoforder (MenchuTum,1998;Oliverio,1998).Thelatter,ofcourse,aredefinedas progressiveandmorehumanewhilelocalconflictsaredefinedasprimitiveor evensavage.Theironyisthatpolitical'order'isoftencreatedinspiteofwhat thestateclaimstostandfor:theprovisionofhumanandcivilrightsviathe establishmentofstructuresthatprotectequalityanddiversity.IntheHom,for example,manycountriesarecharacterizedbytheirdiversityoflandscapeand people,yetassimilationpoliciesandpracticesimposedbythestatecontinue toproducedisparities,inequity,discrimination,andviolence.Itappearsthat terrorismbecomesanintrinsicpracticeofstatesasorderanduniformity becomethestructuralvehiclesbywhichequityanddiversityare marginalized.
