ABSTRACT
Any serious student of terrorism will quickly realize not only that the issue of definition is a major obstacle to conceptual development within the area, but that, nevertheless, the extent to which researchers embrace the perceived need to fully resolve the issue of definition reflects an inefficient use of time and energy. Problems of definition are not exclusive to terrorism, yet the extent to which the issue so utterly dominates the discourse on terrorism is a poor indictment of progress. It also indicates much about our failure to prioritize research issues accordingly.
