Recent Attacks Were Not Terrorist Attacks

           There have been more attacks that have been incorrectly labeled “terrorist” attacks by many.  These are the latest examples of what I have made a regular subject to try to prevent the word terrorism from being diluted or misused.

            As I note regularly, terrorism is the strategy of violent attacks on innocent civilians that are intended to intimidate the populace to urge a government acquiesce to the demands of the terrorists.  Thus, terrorism is defined by its target and its strategy, not by who its perpetrators are or their religious or political motivation or their affiliations and not by its tactics.  Terrorism is a great evil and a war crime. 

There are often other evil acts committed, which may be terrifying to the populace, that are not necessarily terrorism.  There were three recent examples.

            The chemical weapons of mass destruction attack in the United Kingdom by the Russian Federation on a former Russian spy for the British several weeks ago was not an act of terrorism because it was targeted at an individual for retaliation, though indiscriminate in its tactical application.  It was not intended primarily to intimidate the populace.  The attack was nonetheless an act of war.

            The bombings earlier this month in Austin, Texas were not terrorism for a number of reasons.  They appear to have targeted blacks particularly, not the whole populace, which suggests bigotry or possibly even genocide was the motivation, not political intimidation.  The lack of a known demand made by the perpetrator means that the acts lack a central element of terrorism, as there can be no intimidation of a populace to urge a government to acquiesce to the terrorist’s demands if there are no demands made.

            The suicide bombing at a military base in California last week was an act of violent jihad by a militant Islamist associated with the Islamic State.  As the attack targeted the military, not innocent civilians, it was not an act of terrorism.  

           All of these attacks were evil, but of a different kind from terrorism.