American Philosopher Michael Walzer opined in 2002 that, “Terrorism is the deliberate killing of innocent people, at random, to spread fear through a whole population and force the hand of its political leaders.”
And while his opinion is not consistent with legal definitions of terrorism in developed nations, it does fairly describe the motives behind several terrorist attacks in recent decades – whether by religious fundamentalists, aggrieved victims of colonisation, foreign invasions and other forms of aggression and subjugation by Western nations, and domestic groups who believe their governments have unlawfully become instruments of oppression.
The definition of terrorism in Australia
