The Fourth Wave: September 11 in the History of Terrorism – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering the main concepts, groups, tactics, and historical milestones discussed in David C. Rapoport’s article on the four waves of modern terrorism and the impact of September 11.

Four Waves of Modern Terrorism

Rapoport’s model of four generational cycles—Anarchist, Anticolonial, New Left, and Religious—each with distinct motives and tactics.

Anarchist (First) Wave

1880s–1910s era marked by dynamite assassinations, martyrdom, and media-focused spectacular violence.

Anticolonial (Second) Wave

1920s–1960s struggle for national self-determination; terrorists targeted police, used guerrilla tactics, and built cellular networks.

New Left (Third) Wave

1960s–1980s revolutionary and international phase inspired by the Vietnam War, famous for hijackings and hostage crises.

Religious (Fourth) Wave

Post-1979 period where faith—especially political Islam—justifies violence; features suicide bombings and transnational networks.

Narodnaya Volya (The People’s Will)

Russian movement (1879) considered the first modern terror group; used symbolic assassination to awaken the masses.

Martyrdom

Deliberate embrace of death by terrorists—through suicide attacks or courtroom defiance—to dramatize their cause.

Dynamite

New explosive of the 19th century that enabled first-wave bombing attacks, often killing attacker and target alike.

Passenger Planes as Bombs

Tactic debuted on September 11, 2001: hijacked airliners used as guided missiles causing massive casualties.

International Terrorism

Third-wave pattern of cross-border cooperation, global targets, and multinational assault teams.

Airline Hijacking

Signature 1970s tactic for publicity and hostages; exceeded 100 incidents per year at the peak.

Hostage Crisis

Terrorist tactic of seizing captives to coerce governments, exemplified by Aldo Moro’s 1978 kidnapping.

State-Sponsored Terrorism

Governments’ covert use of militant groups (e.g., Libya, Iran, Syria) to pursue foreign policy goals.

Suicide Bombing

Fourth-wave method first popularized by Lebanese Shiites; attacker’s self-death guarantees detonation success.

Al Qaeda

Sunni Islamist network founded by Osama bin Laden, training global militants and aiming to expel Western influence from Muslim lands.

September 11, 2001

Coordinated Al Qaeda attacks using hijacked planes against U.S. targets; hallmark of the Religious wave.

PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization)

Key third-wave group that trained international terrorists and dominated Middle East militancy after 1967.

Cellular Structure

Decentralized organization of small, semi-independent cells that hinders police infiltration.

Diaspora Support

Aid from expatriate communities—money, arms, lobbying—crucial to second-wave anticolonial campaigns.

Publicity of Violence

First-wave doctrine that spectacular terror and courtroom speeches would mobilize public sentiment and erode regime legitimacy.

Combatant vs. Noncombatant Distinction

Rule of war intentionally violated by terrorists who target civilians for psychological effect.

Hope as Lubricant

Rapoport’s idea that rising expectations after political turning points energize terrorist mobilization.

French Revolution and ‘Terror’

Origin of the term terrorism, when revolutionary tribunals used systematic violence to enforce virtue (Robespierre).

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

1914 killing by Young Bosnia/Black Hand that ignited WWI and ended the first wave of terror.

International Counterterror Cooperation

Joint actions—intelligence sharing, sanctions, extradition—used to combat terrorism, e.g., after the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

Aum Shinrikyo

Japanese cult that released sarin gas in Tokyo’s subway (1995), showing terrorists’ interest in chemical weapons.

Christian Identity Movement

U.S. extremist ideology combining millenarian Christianity with white supremacy; linked to militia activities and Oklahoma City.

Assassins (Hashshashin)

Medieval Shia sect whose self-sacrificial killing inspired modern notions of suicide terrorism.

Robespierre’s ‘Virtue and Terror’

Maxim asserting terror as an essential tool for establishing democracy during the French Revolution.

Passenger Hijacking to Jordan (1970)

PFLP seizure of Western airliners that led Jordan to expel the PLO, illustrating risks of international attacks.