Introduction

Abstract

‘Terrorism’ has become the plague of the twenty first century: it is a concept that has seemingly penetrated all quarters of international society, especially in the wake of the September 11th attacks in New York and the subsequent ‘war on terrorism’. Few places on the globe are now unaffected by the hysteria caused by ‘terrorism’. It has given new meaning to ongoing ‘domestic conflicts’ and redefined wars in all continents of the planet. Previously considered indigenous ‘terrorist’ groups involved in local conflicts are now often perceived to be linked to the worldwide nebulous bin Laden organisation that has truly globalised ‘terrorism’. From Europe and Russia, through the Middle East to the Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal, South America and Africa multifarious new ‘terrorist’ situations are continuously being identified.1 However, despite having its international profile raised immeasurably, ‘terrorism’ is far from a new phenomenon, as the consensus of academic opinion dates it to the French revolution and the Nihilists of nineteenth century Russia,2 suggesting that it has been a continuous part of modern world history.