The many faces of terrorism

Since the bombing of the World Trade Centre and related attacks on September 11 2001 barely a day passes without “terrorism” capturing the headlines. Those of us living in relatively stable societies view terrorism almost exclusively as acts of violence by individuals or non government organisations for religious, political or ideological ends — and with intent to cause disproportionate fear and societal disruption.

But what happens when similar tactics are employed by the State? When is one an act of ‘terror’ and another an act of peacekeeping, war or national defence?

Our panel of experts examine the many faces of global terrorism and the moral issues that surround it. What is terrorism and who are the terrorists? How does history, culture, government and the media influence and shape our understanding of it? And how do we best respond ensuring that the trade-off between counterterrorism and fundamental human rights such as privacy, liberty and security, isn’t too great?