ABSTRACT
Groups that resort to terrorism want to accomplish a wide variety of goals. These goals are often specific to a country, the target audience, the time period – in a word the political environment in which the groups operate. This chapter will first consider some suggestions about the root causes of terrorism that lead groups that seek change to rely on violence. There are a number of ways in which terrorist groups can be classified. First, they can be put into categories on the basis of what part of the political system they are trying to change – policies, political leadership, the structure of the political system, or the boundaries of the state. Second, they can be classified on the basis of their cause – religious issues, ethnic concerns, or ideological beliefs. It is also possible for governments to engage in terrorism against their citizens as noted in Chapter 1. Although the objectives for this kind of terrorism will be somewhat different, it is often undertaken or tolerated as part of an effort to achieve similar types of goals. Finally, it is worthwhile to discuss some of the distinctions between domestic terrorism and international terrorism.
