Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is terrorism?


  • Terrorism is violence, or the threat of violence, calculated to create an atmosphere of fear and alarm. These acts are designed to coerce others into actions they would not otherwise undertake, or refrain from actions they desired to take. All acts of terrorism are crimes. Many would also be a violation of the rules of war if a state of war existed. This violence or threat of violence is generally directed against civilian targets. The motives of all terrorists are political, and terrorist actions are generally carried out in a way that will achieve maximum publicity. Unlike other criminal acts, terrorists often claim responsibility for their acts. Finally, terrorist acts are intended to produce effects beyond the immediate, having long-term psychological repercussions on a particular victim audience. The fear created by terrorists may be intended to cause people to exaggerate the strengths of the terrorist and the importance of the cause, to provoke governmental overreaction, to discourage dissent, or simply to intimidate and thereby enforce compliance with their demands.


  • What is counterterrorism?


  • Any political, military, social, economic, psychological, or law enforcement effort to neutralize, deter, or prevent terrorism. Counterterrorism includes military defeat of terrorists by thwarting attacks, physically eliminating groups, degrading their ability to attack or arrest and interdiction prior to an attack. Counterterrorism can also emphasize removing motivations that commonly convince people to become terrorists.


  • What is domestic terrorism?


  • Incidents perpetrated by local nationals without foreign influence against a purely domestic target.


  • What is international terrorism?


  • Incidents in which terrorists go abroad to strike their targets, select domestic targets associated with a foreign state, or create an international incident by attacking airline passengers, personnel or equipment.


  • What is state-sponsored terrorism?


  • As defined by the Department of State, "Countries determined by the Secretary of State to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism are designated pursuant to three laws: section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act, section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, and section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act. Taken together, the four main categories of sanctions resulting from designation under these authorities include restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions."


  • What is a "hard target?"


  • Targets that have a significant security presence in order to deter a terrorist attack. Examples include: military bases, airports, and government agencies.


  • What is a "soft target?"


  • Targets that are relatively unguarded or difficult to protect from terrorists, and therefore yield a higher probability for a successful attack. Examples include: subways, hotels, shopping malls, entertainment venues, parks, and schools.


  • What is target displacement?


  • Target displacement is the redirection of the terrorist's interest from a hard to a soft target.


  • What is cyberterrorism?


  • As defined by the U.S. government, it is "a criminal act perpetrated through computers resulting in violence, death and/or destruction, and creating terror for the purpose of coercing a government to change its policies" or "politically motivated use of computers as weapons or as targets, by sub-national groups or clandestine agents intent on violence, to influence an audience or cause a government to change its policies."


  • What is WMD?


  • An acronym for "Weapons of Mass Destruction." WMD generally refers to any chemical, biological, or nuclear weapon. According to 18 U.S.C., Section 2332a, a Weapon of Mass Destruction is defined as "(A) Any destructive device as defined in section 921 of this title, [which reads] any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas, bomb, grenade, rocket having a propellant charge of more than four ounces, missile having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than one quarter ounce, mine or device similar to the above, (B) poison gas, (C) any weapon involving a disease organism, or (D) any weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life."