The first definition of "terrorism", according to the 1798 Academie Fran'aise, was "a system or rule of terror". Thus terrorism was first held to be the act of a dictatorial government - in that case, the dictatorial government toppled by the French Revolution.

History shows that the application of the term "terrorist" is largely subjective, politically motivated and conditioned by ideology. Those in power decide who are terrorists based on the benefit to their political objectives and contemporary conventions on usage of the term. Indeed, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

By Neil Stormer

Global terrorism needs a global response, not just conferences but coordinated action plans that require each member to perform specific actions in defence of all.

by Maggie Mitchell Salem

Palestinians reach out to their neighbors in Jordan after the November 9th suicide bombings in Amman. Almost all Palestinians have friends or relatives in Jordan. Several Palestinians were also killed in the attacks.

By Omar Karmi

Editor's Note: The Jordan Times recently ran the following editorial in response to the recent terrorist attacks in Amman.

"We were attacked because of what Jordan stands for, because of what it represents in this region and beyond: A model of stability and security in a constantly turbulent area, an example of moderation and tolerance amidst bloody wars and religious and ethnic tensions, a success story of modernisation in a gravely underdeveloped region."

by Hasan Abu Nimah

Bombers struck again with utmost viciousness at the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh last Saturday. The pattern remains relatively consistent; hitting soft targets, killing innocent civilians, attacking countries whose policies are supposed to be close to Washington. There are also some differences compared with past attacks. Last October, bomb attacks on the Egyptian resort of Taba, on the border with Israel, seem to have specifically targeted Israeli tourists. The fact that most of the victims of the Sharm El Sheikh attacks were Egyptian and Muslim will be used to argue that the bombers' violent campaign is indiscriminate and not directed by anger at Western policies. But these attacks seem to have been targeted at Egypt's tourism industry as a whole, and therefore indirectly at the Egyptian government, which, according to statements from extremist websites, is seen as being a servant of the United States. In those circumstances, the cruel logic of the masterminds of this atrocity would calculate that killing Muslims is justified. But whatever intentions we might read into these attacks, the end result is that no innocent person is safe, Muslim or otherwise.

It is clear then, that the wave of attacks the world has witnessed must be universally condemned and rejected and all efforts should be made to eradicate this threat from its very roots. The problem is how?

by Alistair Millar
SojoMail 7-13-2005

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Bush administration and the wider international community seemed to recognize the simple fact that terrorism can not be defeated primarily through military means. In that spirit and with great unity of purpose the United Nations Security Council created the U.N. Counter-Terrorism Committee to build the capacity of nations to prevent terrorism and stepped up the activities of the committee charged with seizing al Qaeda and Taliban assets. The G8, which met last week in Gleneagles, Scotland, for its part created the Counter-Terrorism Action Group. Since then numerous other international and regional organizations followed suit, but the U.S. and others seem to have lost interest and squandered precious resources by preferring to trumpet a bellicose response to terror instead.

Multilateral efforts to freeze assets, build the capacity of underdeveloped states to fight terrorism, strengthen legal mechanisms, and improve law enforcement cooperation are more effective and far less costly than prolonged overseas military deployments - the financial and human costs of which are made painfully clear in the daily news from Iraq. The loud hum of the war drum has become so constant on cable news and at White House press briefings that many Americans have become desensitized to the violence that is daily taking place in Iraq. To quote one astute observer:

"Can you imagine if the world reacted the same way to each car bombing in Iraq? Eight world leaders commenting; talking heads on every news program discussing how the terror must stop, the hearts and minds of millions around the world in solidarity with those affected by the violence.... What a different world it could be."