Compare and contrast the definitions of terrorism offered by Walter Laqueur and Alex Schmid. Do you agree with Laqueur or Schmid? Explain

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

• Laquer
o Terrorism constitutes the illegitimate use of force to achieve a political
objective by targeting innocent people
o Attempts to move beyond the simple definition are fruitless because the
term is so controversial
o Laquer promotes a simple definition because the meaning of terrorism
changes constantly as social contexts change
o Simple definition includes 3 parts: 1) use of force, 20 against innocent
people, 3) for political purposes
• Schmid
o There is no true or correct definition because terrorism is an abstract
concept with no real presence
o A single definition cannot possibly account for all the potential uses of the term
o Leading definitions have some common elements and most definitions
have two characteristics – someone is terrorized and the meaning of the
term is derived from terrorists' targets and victims.
o Definition closely related to the group searching for meaning