Title: What the World’s Terrorist Groups Have in Common | World101
Headings: What the World’s Terrorist Groups Have in Common
What the World’s Terrorist Groups Have in Common
Terrorist groups fall into four broad ideological categories.
Terrorist Groups and Categories
Click on a group to learn more about it.
Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)

Content: It might, therefore, seem odd that groups with such diverse aims can all be classified as terrorist. What unites them? One commonality is that strong ideological beliefs drive them to commit violence. In part because terrorism encompasses a range of acts and motivations, the term has a long and contentious history. Yet it’s not impossible to define. Generally, terrorism is understood to be violence, usually against civilians, committed by people or groups motivated by precise political and ideological objectives. Terrorists seek to achieve their goals while also inspiring fear and psychological terror in victims and bystanders. Terrorism isn’t crime—it’s political, and generally not undertaken for financial gain. And it isn’t war—it’s committed against civilians or other targets by nonstate actors (any person or group unrelated to a government) with fewer resources and less power than the state. Analyzing terrorist groups—where they come from, why they form, and what they hope to achieve—is the first step toward combating them.