Terrorism, on the other hand, refers to actions that are committed to further a cause or to gain power. A terrorist is a person who engages in violence in an attempt to promote a cause or to gain power for a terrorist organization. Terrorists are extremists. This means that they are prepared to carry out extreme actions to achieve their goals.   

If a terrorist organization were to rob a bank, it would be to get money to go toward its cause. Targets are chosen based on an intention to cause mass destruction, deaths, and multiple injuries. The aim is to cause widespread confusion and fear. An attack often results in destruction to infrastructure (such as roads, bridges, airports, water treatment plants), which harms a nation's population as people attempt to go about their daily lives. Anyone who is in an area where terrorists choose to carry out their actions is a target, regardless of age, innocence, or gender. This causes people to live under the constant threat of being killed or injured. It is a type of psychological warfare.

Terrorists are extremists. Many people struggle for the same causes, but they choose to use legitimate channels such as negotiations and lobby groups. Some members of these groups view the terrorists within their groups as obstacles to their efforts.

So what is different about terrorism today? Just as the development of weapons changed the face of war, it has also changed the face and impact of terrorism. Terrorism has become a regular aspect of modern societies.

One of the worst terrorist attacks that you no doubt already know about was the attacks on the World Trade Center buildings in New York City and other landmarks in the United States.

On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group Al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Often referred to as 9/11, the attacks resulted in extensive death and destruction, triggering major US initiatives to combat terrorism and defining the presidency of George W. Bush. Over 3,000 people were killed during the attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., including more than 400 police officers and firefighters.

What causes terrorism?

The causes of terrorism are very complex, and they vary from group to group. No two groups are the same, but they share some characteristics. Usually, the goals of terrorist groups are political, which means they disagree with something that a government is or is not doing.

Sometimes, religion is an underlying issue for the political situation. Each religion has its group of extremists who have their own interpretation of the text of their religious teachings. Two such groups in Christianity are the Ku Klux Klan and the Aryan Nations. Both of these groups believe that Europeans are superior to all others.

As late as the 1970s, the Ku Klux Klan was responsible for bombings and murders against African Americans in the southern United States. Similarly, members of the Aryan Nations believe in the white supremacy that fueled Hitler's massacre of more than six million Jewish people in World War II.

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In most cases, terrorist organizations feel that using violence is the most effective way to get their point across. They believe that they are at war, and they rationalize their acts as legitimate ways to fight this war. Usually, by the time the terrorist group forms and gains strength, a problem has been going on for some time. They have no confidence in traditional, non-violent methods as a means of being heard or resolving issues. Sometimes, a group may try to have its voice heard through legitimate channels, but it resorts to terrorism when its members no longer feel any progress is being made. They may believe that using terrorist tactics will force others to listen or that such means will work quicker than more peaceful processes such as negotiation. One terrorist organization may focus its activities within its own country. Another may carry out actions against neighbouring countries. Others go beyond their neighbours to anywhere in the world.

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