Terrorism is killing civilians. Examples are the London blitz, the bombing of Germany, and the dropping of nuclear bombs on Japan. Except for submarine warfare and a few accidents in Belgium and northern France, World War I escaped terrorism. The US secessionary war (Enlightenment) hatched more terrorism than the CSA-USA war (Victorian). Earlier wars were entirely free of terrorism--there were already enough military prisoners to bayonet, and the losers civilians were too valuable as slaves. Is intention (mens rea) necessary to terrorism? Yes, but intention can be indirect. Torpedoing a merchant ship, employing less than completely smart bombs and drones, or discharging a firearm within an enemy city limits is, assuming the sentience of the trigger-pullers and their leaders, prima facie ipso facto a priori intentional. The US becomes terrorist not when it occupies another country, but when it kills civilians in reaction to the killing of its occupiers by people who oppose occupation.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 19:19:45 +0000
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