TERRORISM AND MORALITY Understanding the Language of Terror

"In its modern form, therefore, the language of terrorism has become the rhetorical servant of

the established order, wherever it might be, and however heinous its own activities are.

Talking of ‘terrorism’ in this way flattens the world of international relations, removing all the

subtle peaks and valleys that make up the real life of nations, and reducing the diplomatic map

to a dull, lifeless plain on which are arrayed the huge army of sovereign nations on one side

(the ‘counter-terrorists’) and those who seek change - for whatever reason - on the other (‘theterrorists’). It is obvious that this is a crassly ahistorical account of the world, ignoring how

the various governments and regimes that deploy the language of terrorism in this way

themselves secured power: there is a Cromwell, a Washington, a Mandela or a Mugabe

behind most of today’s political power structures. It is in the inconsistency of its approach to

the use of force for political ends that the language of terrorism most exposes itself to moral

disapprobation."

Read the whole ESSAY here.

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