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CHAPTER 1 Understanding Extremism TERRORISM AND EXTREMISM For such a pervasive phenomenon, terrorism has proven difficult to define. The federal government, individual states, and various organi- zations have crafted different definitions. Academics disagree, and the international community has yet to achieve consensus on what the term means. To ordinary people watching the carnage in Paris, Barcelona, or Charleston, however, debates over definition must seem arcane and point- less. “Surely,” the average man or woman on the street will insist, “we know a terrorist attack when we see one.” This commonsense realization points the way to a functional definition based on agreed-upon character- istics: if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. Understanding terrorism begins with understanding terror. “Terror” names an emotion, but it also designates acts that produce that emotion. Whether he or she uses an airplane, a suicide vest, a car bomb, or a fire- arm, the perpetrator of a terrorist attack seeks to spread fear. Terror targets not only those it kills and maims but also those who witness the attack, either firsthand or through various media. It frightens people into believ- ing that they may become a victim at any moment and tries to convince them that only by giving in to the demands of the perpetrators will they be safe. Terror instills fear disproportionate to the damage it causes and the casualties it inflicts. If an attack gets people to change their behavior, it has succeeded. Like any weapon or tactic, terror can be employed by different actors. States, insurgent groups, criminal enterprises, and extremist organizations have all used terror, but they have employed it in different ways. States are the oldest practitioners of terror. The Romans executed Jesus Christ by nailing him on a cross to suffer an agonizing public death. They wished to send an unmistakable message: those who defy Rome will suffer the same fate. Insurgents seeking to gain control of a state from within will also use