ABSTRACT
SUMMARY. Terrorism may well be one word, but its forms are multiple and accordingly the ways to combat it differ. In recent history, we have been exposed to “tactical terrorism,” whose political objectives were well known and unchangeable and were pursued by groups with a place and a stake in their own countries. By contrast, Al Qaeda has introduced strategic terrorism, perpetual confrontation with the enemy being anyone who is “different.” Furthermore, the political objectives change frequently, since they are not what matters; for strategic terrorism, the perpetual confrontation is more important than any political objective per se.
