Expert: Lane - 11/11/2008

Question
What are the causes of Global Terrorisn ?

Answer
Thank you for your question. It is a very broad one, but a very good one. While there is no specific origin of terrorism, a catalyst can be identified. Let us first look at the definition of "terrorism." The US Department of Defense describes it as "the unlawful use of -- or threatened use of -- force or violence against individuals or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies, often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives."

So, now that we know what terrorism is (global terrorism being terrorism on a world-scale) we can identify the cause. Since terrorism is often used to achieve political or religious objectives, we can logically assume that the cause is a disagreement between two groups of people. These people, when they act on their differences in a violent manner, becomes terrorists.

Example: On September 11th, 2001, Muslim terrorists hijacked airplanes and crashed them into prominent US buildings. The best guess we have for WHY they did this is because of the differences between our cultures, religions and politics.

This is of course a very concise summary, but I do hope I was able to answer you question. If not, please feel free to ask a follow-up. Thank you and have a good day!