State terrorism differs so fundamentally from insurgent terrorism that analysis must be separate

Evidence

Thornton’s conception, as expanded here, is restricted to terrorism against the state; that is, terrorism from below rather than from above. Terrorism is also practiced by governments, and some characteristics of its processes, effects, and perpetrators are similar to the characteristics of insurgent or agitational terrorism. For example, insurgent terrorist organizations may use terrorism to control their supporters and to enforce obedience. There are, however, such critical differences in the power, authority, and status of governments as opposed to nongovernments that an undifferentiated analysis would be misleading. The potential magnitude of most government violence is incomparably greater than that of nongovernments. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4071

Categorization

• SEED: A piece on ‘terrorism from above’ — the staggering asymmetry that state violence dwarfs nonstate violence in magnitude, yet public discourse fixates on the latter — could reframe how we discuss the phenomenon.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4071