That’s just what the people misusing the word as a justification for overstepping want you to believe. The definition is very clear: It’s inciting terror through violent acts against non-combatans to push an agenda. For example bombing some recruitment offices, so people don’t dare go there to enlist or attacking large gatherings and leaving a message what the terrorist wants.
Except people don’t use it that way. If you say “I live in Syria and I am afraid of a terrorist attack”, 99/100 people would not understand what you said to possibly mean that you were afraid of the US drone striking you.
If they did, and anyone can use the term to refer to most any political organization and action that is associated with attacks on non-combatants, it becomes useless.
You would be surprised how many people outside of the west correctly identify US drone strikes as terrorist attacks. And no, that does not make the term meaningless at all.
That’s just what the people misusing the word as a justification for overstepping want you to believe. The definition is very clear: It’s inciting terror through violent acts against non-combatans to push an agenda. For example bombing some recruitment offices, so people don’t dare go there to enlist or attacking large gatherings and leaving a message what the terrorist wants.
Except that includes most states, especially the US that kills 10 unintended for every intended target. It’s as useless of a term as “authoritarian”.
Of course this includes many states. That doesn’t mean the term is useless, you just don’t like the implication of that.
Except people don’t use it that way. If you say “I live in Syria and I am afraid of a terrorist attack”, 99/100 people would not understand what you said to possibly mean that you were afraid of the US drone striking you.
If they did, and anyone can use the term to refer to most any political organization and action that is associated with attacks on non-combatants, it becomes useless.
You would be surprised how many people outside of the west correctly identify US drone strikes as terrorist attacks. And no, that does not make the term meaningless at all.