He is the Hydra of our day, a multiheaded monster whose many faces, all different, all grotesque, pop up around the globe without hint of their coming. Defined broadly, the terrorist is the perpetrator of political violence, one who, to paraphrase Clausewitz, seeks to extend war by other means. Rarely does the crime itself fulfill the terrorist's dream; it is usually designed to achieve revenge, publicity, leverage or anarchy. The year saw savage terrorists in all their guises, but 1984 also witnessed a clamorous debate over whether and how a government should strike back.
Perhaps the most chilling image was the...
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