State violence against civilians is rarely labeled terrorism

Evidence

Terrorism is a strategy of violence designed to force desired sociopolitical changes by instilling fear in the public at large. Public intimidation is a key element that distinguishes terrorism from other forms of violence. In conventional violence, victims are personally targeted. Terrorism relies on third-party violence in which the identity of the victims is incidental to the terrorists’ purposes. Terroristic violence is directed at civilians and essential infrastructure to pressure the government to change its policies and practices. It is neither the ends nor the severity of the operational means but the third party that characterizes terrorism. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2103 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Why-questions about bombers never get asked of soldiers killing more civilians — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 1444; State violence against civilians is never categorized as terrorism — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 401; Terrorism labeling follows political allegiance, not acts of violence — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 413 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Terrorism is defined by third-party violence against incidental victims, not targets or means #complicates (0.72) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2103