ARGUMENT: DEFINING TERRORISMWhat Is a Terrorist Movement?
The analysis of terrorism is plagued with definitional disagreements, and most of the definition in use suffer from gaps, ambiguities, and inconsistencies. Daniel Byman writes that terms such as “groups” or organizations” no longer applies to many who engage in terrorist activities – but the term “lone wolf” is also misleading. He offers the term “network: “Network analysis can be another way to identify the contours of a dangerous movement.” Because so many of today’s terrorism challenges “are better characterized as movements or networks rather than as groups or organizations, it is valuable to explore how such amorphous concepts might be operationalized.”
The analysis of terrorism is plagued with definitional disagreements, and most of the definition in use suffer from gaps, ambiguities, and inconsistencies. Daniel Byman writes in Lawfare that even close allies do not agree on definitions of terrorism and which groups should be labeled as dangerous. He notes that, often, there is an “I know it when I see it” sense of what is good and bad, which in practice is little help for governments, financial institutions, social media companies, or others trying to stop violent extremists.
“Politics also heavily shapes definitions,” Byman writes, “with some ideologies such as Islamic extremism receiving far more attention than white supremacy, anti-government extremism, or traditional civil strife. The result is poor discourse, uneven enforcement, different rules in different countries, and a general cynicism that definitions are simply ways for the powerful to marginalize the powerless.
He adds:
Most debates focus on what counts as terrorism, but there’s another increasingly important definitional challenge presented by a seemingly obvious, but in fact quite difficult, question: What is a terrorist movement? Being formally labeled a terrorist “group” or “organization” is often tied to penalties under law, deplatforming by technology companies, and the denial of financial services, among other punishments. The U.S. Department of State designates an array of foreign terrorist organizations (FTO) every year. If a group is on the list, then providing money, arms, or other support to it—including volunteering to join it—becomes a criminal activity, and many successful prosecutions are based on this support. But the FTO designation requires an actual organization as well as terrorism. This leaves out individuals who are tied to broader movements and causes but are not part of formal groups. Similarly, platforms like Facebook, which make an extensive effort to block extremists, also wrestle with the question of how to handle individuals who are part of dangerous movements but not tied to any particular group.
