According to Combs, though the 90's were less violent an era than those in which the world experienced global war, it certainly was a violent decade. A great deal of effort and money are invested into the development and implementation of policies designed to limit and cope with terrorist violence. The reason such an emphasis has been placed on this topic is due to the immense amount of attention that has been attracted. Combs states, "[t]he drama of terrorist-directed events [...] attracts enormous attention in the press and on television worldwide" (7). Terrorism has become a customary method of warfare due to its effectiveness and impact.
             Many groups have chosen to use terror tactics to advance their political interests, whether liberal or conservative, ideological or nationalist. Terrorist acts have been committed against tyrannical as well as democratic governments and at often times are used as a last resort for revolutionaries whose attempts to alter their system of government have failed or, in some instances, as a deliberate revolutionary tactic before other such methods have been attempted.
             States have supported terrorism as well. According to combs, "[t]errorism has become, paradoxically, both an instrument designed to force radical social and political changes and an instrument of oppression in seeking to prevent such changes" (7).
             Despite the increased employment of terrorist tactics, there is a great deal of uncertainty as to what the word terrorism actually entails. Most commonly the word terrorism is used as a term to describe actions which one finds objectionable to their personal political values. Terrorism affects many different aspects of society including foreign policy, commerce, security, morale, and overall confidence in the existing governmental structure. The presence of terrorism is undeniable and undisputed, however, current definitions are of great dispute. T...