ABSTRACT
In September 1901 President Theodore Roosevelt called for a campaign to exterminate terrorism in the aftermath of the assassination of President McKinley by an anarchist. Terrorism has been a nearly universal phenomenon. Terrorism has been present in many locations and many different time periods, and it has involved a great many types of organizations and groups. The overall ratio of successful terrorist operations to unsuccessful terrorist ones is probably a relatively small percentage of operations. Terrorist groups have adapted their tactics, targets, and objectives. Terrorism has been a reaction to globalization and modernization—processes that place great stress upon societies and political systems. Globalization will continue to generate instability in societies. Most terrorist organizations are quickly defeated by the police and national security forces. Terrorism is more effective when targets are carefully chosen and when indiscriminate violence is avoided. The most successful form of terrorism, and often the most deadly, is that involving the government.
