Terrorism

Terrorism is a term used to refer to violence (usually against civilians) instigated to further a certain political or ideological goal.

That's obviously not a good definition, unless you want to include all armed action. By saying usually against civilians, violent action against armies is not ruled out as a form of terrorism. For example, by that definition George Washington's fight at Valley Forge would be considered terrorism. I assume that's not what the person who wrote that definition intended.

It's also not a good definition because it seems some terrorist violence is not intended to further political or ideological goals. For instance, were the Aum Shinrikyo sarin gas attacks in the Tokyo subway a form of terrorism, and if so, what political or ideological goal did they support?

Well-Known Terrorist Groups

• The Crusaders
• Al-Qaeda
• The Irish Republican Army
• The Tamil Tigers
• The Ku Klux Klan