ABSTRACT
Terrorism has been used as a weapon of the weak against militarily, politically, and economically stronger rulers and governments for a long time and in many parts of the world. Karl Heinzen advocated murder for political ends, or what soon thereafter was defined as terrorism, even if that meant death for members of what he called “the party of freedom.” When the Cold War ended, many observers expected a dramatic decline in international terrorism. The origins of modern terrorism “from below”—or political violence directed against the forces of power in society, namely, political leaders—go back to the second half of the nineteenth century. American and European left-leaning environmentalists and opponents of Western-style industrial modernization, postmodern developments, and US-dominated globalization and consumerism were and are the driving forces in the antiglobalization movement. The majority of groups that resort to political violence fit the following categories: nationalist/separatist, left and/or revolutionary, right and/or reactionary, antiglobalization, and extreme environmentalist.
