LibGuides: VCE History : Unit 2 Area of Study 2 Terrorism: Home

United Nations Security Council on the nature of terrorism

Since 1963, the international community has adopted 19 international counter-terrorism legal instruments (conventions and protocols), many of which define acts of terrorism:

Acts of aircraft hijacking
Acts of aviation sabotage
Acts of violence at airports
Acts against the safety of maritime navigation
Acts against the safety of fixed platforms located on the continental shelf
Crime against internationally protected persons (such as the kidnapping of diplomats)
Acts of unlawful taking and possession of nuclear material
Acts of hostage-taking
Acts of terrorist bombings
Acts of funding of the commission of terrorist acts and terrorist organizations
The use of an aircraft as a weapon.

One man’s freedom fighter… can we ever define terrorism?
Terrorism defies definition. We all know one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter; or in some cases, one man’s terrorist is another’s recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. The use of the word “terrorist” by both sides of the current conflict between Hamas and Israel underline its ambiguity.

Definitions of Terrorism
Jenkins, J. Philip (2024, June 20). terrorism. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism 2024. Britannica School.
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Terrorism, the calculated use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective. Terrorism has been practiced by political organizations with both rightist and leftist objectives, by nationalistic and religious groups, by revolutionaries, and even by state institutions such as armies, intelligence services, and police.