Historical Dictionary of Terrorism (3rd ed.)

The United States Department of Defense defines terrorism as 'the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.' While terrorism has been around for centuries, it was the al Qa'eda attacks of September 11, 2001, that brought home to the world, and most particularly the United States, just how dangerous terrorism can