Competing Interpretations of Terrorism

By Muck: Building on Patrick's post below, the New York Times ran a fascinating article today looking at the multiple and often competing interpretations of the term terrorism. The United States and others in the "West" label groups like Hamas and Hezbollah as "terrorists." Yet following the recent Israeli incursion into Gaza, the prevailing opinion in the Arab world is that Israel is the one guilty of terror. The article quotes former Egyptian ambassador to Britain-Muhammad Shaker: "Public opinion views what happened in Gaza as a kind of terrorism. And on the other side, they see Hamas and other such organizations as groups who are trying to liberate their countries." I strongly believe that history is best understood as a battle over ideas. What we are witnessing here is simply the next stage in the attempt to define and understand terrorism.