Terrorism is defined by attacking incidental third parties, not by ends or severity.

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 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

The word terrorism is put in quotation marks throughout this text not to deny the existence of groups like al-Qaeda or ISIS or to downplay the devastating attacks they have carried out, but rather to call attention to the kinds of acts of political violence that are seen as terrorism and those that are not. Although terrorism is often defined as violence targeted against civilians to inflict fear so as to advance political agendas, governments often label as terrorist those non-state actors that attempt to thwart their objectives while ignoring the political violence of allies. Further, state violence and state-sponsored violence against civilians is rarely, if ever, categorized as terrorism irrespective of the number of lives lost. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 413 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Terror is a strategy of asymmetric violence deployable by weak or strong actors — Charles Tilly, Regimes and Repertoires, 828; Terrorism is defined by third-party violence against incidental victims, not targets or means — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 2103; Third-party targeting, not severity, defines terrorism (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Terrorism is defined by third-party violence against incidental victims, not targets or means #corroborates (0.97) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2103
• Third-party targeting, not severity, defines terrorism #corroborates (0.95)
• Terrorism labeling follows political allegiance, not acts of violence #complicates (0.75) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 413
• Collateral damage is the intended point of terrorism war, not its side effect #complicates (0.74) — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 643