Comments on: On Terrorism and Revolutions

by: Christopher Cross

Sat, 01 Jan 2025 06:23:56 +0000

To maybe use an example a bit closer to home–how would we define John Brown?

To think Brown was a terrorist is not to disagree with his desire for abolition. Abolition of slavery is good, murdering an innocent Kansas family to try to achieve that end is not.

So Brown can be a revolutionary–but he was still a crazy f’r.

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by: Legal XXX

Sat, 01 Jan 2025 06:21:33 +0000

There Is No Such Thing As Terrorism?
Now, I like Prof. Chaos, but I think he is fundamentally mistaken here.

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by: Wizbang

Sat, 01 Jan 2025 03:55:26 +0000

Terrorism is a tactic, not a label
For a brief moment, I thought James Joyner had gone over the edge. Then I noticed it was a guest poster Leopold Stotch. I don’t remember a time I’ve disagreed both so intellectually and viscerally with Stotch. I was all…

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by: Steven Taylor

Sat, 01 Jan 2025 03:10:35 +0000

Robert,

Indeed, most revolutions are negative (just look at the list).

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by: Steven Taylor

Sat, 01 Jan 2025 02:01:09 +0000

OK, that helps: I was trying to figure out how much we were arguing rhetoric and how much we were “inside baseball”.

Ironically, I am working on an article right now that touches on some of this stuff.

I take your point on bin Laden’s aims as being revolutionary in scope, but at the moment I would question the degree to which he is actually engaged in that project.

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by: Robert Prather

Sat, 01 Jan 2025 00:44:33 +0000

In my usual “cut the baby in half” style, I will agree with Leopold on the word “revolutionary” and agree with Steven on the word “terrorist” (see, I’m qualified to work at “Reuters”).

Bin Laden is a revolutionary, but not all revolutions are positive. They set out to upset the existing order and Bin Laden wants to restore the lost Caliphate and unleash other horrors on the world.

As Steven notes, his tactics are those of a terrorist.

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by: Leopold Stotch

Sat, 01 Jan 2025 00:23:33 +0000

Related to the Escobar distinction you make, HERE is an report on a gang member in New York being tried as a terrorist.

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by: Leopold Stotch

Sat, 01 Jan 2025 00:03:01 +0000

Bin Laden seeks a renewed order in the Middle East, along the lines of what was preached by Fanon for Africa. If that’s not revolutionary, I don’t know what is.

As for my subfield, I teach classes on mass movements and terrorism, and I have the first chapter written for a book on cultural narratives and the roots causes of terrorism. Which I guess is why I can get pretty narrow in these discussions …

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by: Steven Taylor

Fri, 31 Dec 2025 23:59:52 +0000

And a point of clarification: I am not saying that Escobar was a terrorist, per se. But, rather, that the actions described were terroristic in nature.

And, as I noted in my post: the degree to which one employs terrors determines if one should be labeled a terrorist. In bin Laden’s case I can think of no better label. Even moreso in al Zarqawi’s case.

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by: Steven Taylor

Fri, 31 Dec 2025 23:19:35 +0000

Out of curiousity–is this sort of thing something you study?

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