QUOTES ON TERRORISM

Terrorism is the tactic of demanding the impossible, and demanding it at gunpoint. CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS, "Terrorism: Notes Toward a Definition" Fighting terrorism is like being a goalkeeper. You can make a hundred brilliant saves but the only shot that people remember is the one that gets past you. PAUL WILKINSON, London Daily Telegraph, Sep. 1, 1992 When I say that terrorism is war against civilization, I may be met by the objection that terrorists are often idealists pursuing worthy ultimate aims -- national or regional independence, and so forth. I do not accept this argument. I cannot agree that a terrorist can ever be an idealist, or that the objects sought can ever justify terrorism. The impact of terrorism, not merely on individual nations, but on humanity as a whole, is intrinsically evil, necessarily evil and wholly evil. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, International Terrorism We can't accommodate terrorism. When someone uses the slaughter of innocent people to advance a so-called political cause, at that point the political cause becomes immoral and unjust and they should be eliminated from any serious discussion, any serious debate. RUDOLPH GIULIANI, CNN interview, Sep. 11, 2002 If inciting people to do that [9/11] is terrorism, and if killing those who kill our sons is terrorism, then let history be witness that we are terrorists. OSAMA BIN LADEN, interview, Oct. 2001 Every leader, and every regime, and every movement, and every organization that steps across the line to terrorism must be banished from the discourse of civilized human life. ALAN KEYES, speech, Apr. 21, 2002 I was called a terrorist yesterday, but when I came out of jail, many people embraced me, including my enemies, and that is what I normally tell other people who say those who are struggling for liberation in their country are terrorists. I tell them that I was also a terrorist yesterday, but, today, I am admired by the very people who said I was one. NELSON MANDELA, Larry King Live, May 16, 2000 Terrorism is the price of empire. If you do not wish to pay the price, you must give up the empire. PAT BUCHANAN, Where the Right Went Wrong Terrorism [takes] us back to ages we thought were long gone if we allow it a free hand to corrupt democratic societies and destroy the basic rules of international life. JACQUES CHIRAC, speech, Sep. 24, 1986 A "war against terrorism" is an impracticable conception if it means fighting terrorism with terrorism. JOHN MORTIMER, Where There's a Will... We do not create terrorism by fighting the terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them. GEORGE W. BUSH, speech, Dec. 18, 2005

Wanton killing of innocent civilians is terrorism, not a war against terrorism. NOAM CHOMSKY, 9-11 It's not right to respond to terrorism by terrorizing other people. And furthermore, it's not going to help. Then you might say, "Yes, it's terrorizing people, but it's worth doing because it will end terrorism." But how much common sense does it take to know that you cannot end terrorism by indiscriminately dropping bombs? HOWARD ZINN, Terrorism and War The core belief that drives terrorism is the notion of a "holy place," along with the idea that some people belong there and other people don't. That's why the only solution to terrorism is for religious scholars to hold a global summit to agree on the definition of "holy place." Once they agree on a definition, it will be easier to mock it into submission. SCOTT ADAMS, Dilbert Newsletter #58 The terrible thing about terrorism is that ultimately it destroys those who practise it. Slowly but surely, as they try to extinguish life in others, the light within them dies. TERRY WAITE, London Guardian, Feb. 20, 1992 I opposed the war in Iraq because I did not believe it was in our national security interest, and I still don't. What we [America] did was akin to taking a baseball bat to a beehive. Our primary security threat right now is terrorism ---and by doing what we did in Iraq, we've managed to alienate a good part of the world and most of the allies whose intelligence and other help we need to combat and defeat terrorism. JERRY SPRINGER, interview, Jun. 23, 2003 Terrorism has replaced Communism as the rationale for the militarization of the country [America], for military adventures abroad, and for the suppression of civil liberties at home. It serves the same purpose, serving to create hysteria. HOWARD ZINN, Terrorism and War Defeating terrorism is more difficult and far-reaching than we have assumed.... We may be advancing the ball down the field at will, running over our opponent's defenses, but winning the game is another matter altogether. WESLEY CLARK, Winning Modern Wars Our enemies are fully aware that they can use oil as a weapon against America. And if we don't take this threat as seriously as the bombs they build or the guns they buy, we will be fighting the War on Terror with one hand tied behind our back. BARACK OBAMA, speech, Feb. 28, 2006 The big threat to America is the way we react to terrorism by throwing away what everybody values about our country--a commitment to human rights. America is a great nation because we are a good nation. When we stop being a good nation, we stop being great. BOBBY KENNEDY, O Magazine, Feb. 2007 Terrorism is carried out purposefully, in a cold-blooded, calculated fashion. The declared goals of the terrorist may change from place to place. He supposedly fights to remedy wrongs -- social, religious, national, racial. But for all these problems his only solution is the demolition of the whole structure of society. No partial solution, not even the total redressing of the grievance he complains of, will satisfy him -- until our social system is destroyed or delivered into his hands. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, International Terrorism

Terrorism has become the systematic weapon of a war that knows no borders or seldom has a face. JACQUES CHIRAC, speech, Sep. 24, 1986 Terrorism, like viruses, is everywhere. There is a global perfusion of terrorism, which accompanies any system of domination as though it were its shadow, ready to activate itself anywhere, like a double agent. JEAN BAUDRILLARD, The Spirit of Terrorism and Other Essays Serious research and development efforts are required to produce technologies, strategies, organizations, and trained personnel who can go into failed states, work with our allies and friends, and promote the political and economic reforms that will meet popular needs and reduce the sources of terrorism and conflict. WESLEY CLARK, Winning Modern Wars In an interconnected world, the defeat of international terrorism and most importantly, the prevention of these terrorist organizations from obtaining weapons of mass destruction -- will require the cooperation of many nations. We must always reserve the right to strike unilaterally at terrorists wherever they may exist. But we should know that our success in doing so is enhanced by engaging our allies so that we receive the crucial diplomatic, military, intelligence, and financial support that can lighten our load and add legitimacy to our actions. This means talking to our friends and, at times, even our enemies. BARACK OBAMA, speech, Nov. 20, 2006 The most powerful military in the world cannot invade, kill or capture a network or destroy every loose weapon on the planet. The best response to this network of terror is to build a network of our own -- a network of like-minded countries and organizations that pools resources, information, ideas, and power. Taking on the radical fundamentalists alone isnt necessary, it isnt smart, and it wont succeed. JOE BIDEN, speech, Aug. 7, 2006 Terrorism is not an expression of rage. Terrorism is a political weapon. Remove a government's facade of infallibility, and you remove its people's faith. DAN BROWN, Angels & Demons Terrorism isn't James Bond or Tom Clancy. Even al-Quaeda is looking old school these days--now it's just some guy with a bomb. He walks the same roads as us. He thinks the same thoughts. But he's got a bomb. MICHAEL MARSHALL, Blood of Angels