Title: Can Terrorism Ever Be Justified - DebateWise
Headings: Can Terrorism Ever Be Justified
Can Terrorism Ever Be Justified
All the Yes points:
All the No points:
In extreme cases, in which peaceful and democratic methods have been exhausted, it is legitimate and…
Terrorism works. In many countries terrorists have succeeded in bringing governments to negotiate wi…
Terrorism can raise the profile of a neglected cause. The hi-jackings of the 1970s and 1980s brough…
Ideals like “freedom” and “liberty” are more important than a single human life; they are what gives…
Actions should be judged by their consequences. In bringing hope, popular recognition, and ultimatel…
The definition of terrorism depends very much upon your point of view – the proposition does not nee…

Content: Not just the victims are affected, with their families and fellow citizens, but also people in many different countries who are put at risk because terrorists from other countries are inspired by these atrocious acts. The definition of terrorism depends very much upon your point of view – the proposition does not nee…
Yes because…
The definition of terrorism depends very much upon your point of view – the proposition does not need to defend every atrocity against innocent civilians to argue that terrorism is sometimes justified. A broad definition would say terrorism was the use of violence for political ends by any group which breaks the Geneva Conventions (which govern actions between armies in wartime) or ignores generally accepted concepts of human rights. Under such a broad definition, states and their armed forces could be accused of terrorism. So could many resistance groups in wartime or freedom fighters struggling against dictatorships, as well as participants in civil wars – all irregular groups outside the scope of the Geneva Conventions. Effectively, such a definition says that the armies of sovereign states should have a monopoly on violence, and that they can only act in certain ways. Some exceptions to this are surely easy to justify – e.g. the actions of the French resistance to German occupation in World War II, or of American patriots against the British in the 1770s. A narrower definition would say that terrorism was the use of violence against innocent civilians to achieve a political end. Such a definition would allow freedom fighters and resistance groups with a legitimate grievance to use force against dictatorship and occupation, providing they only targeted the troops and other agents of oppression. Yet even this tight definition has grey areas – what if the soldiers being targeted are reluctant conscripts?