Terrorism, Innocence, and War

Flashcards covering vocabulary and key concepts from a lecture transcript about terrorism, innocence, and war.

State Terrorism

A type of state-sponsored violence that targets civilians and has become a common policy option for powerful nations.

Traditional Warfare Ideal

The idea that soldiers should only fight soldiers and military equipment should only target military equipment, which is often disregarded in modern warfare.

Law of Nature

The moral law that must be enforced by each individual in the absence of a formal legal system, leading to potential biases and unending cycles of retaliation.

Rule of Law

An established, settled, known law received and allowed by common consent to be the standard of right and wrong and the common measure to decide all controversies.

Innocence (in war)

A term used in war to distinguish between those who may be directly targeted by military force (combatants) and those who may not (noncombatants).

Innocence (crime and punishment)

A perspective where innocence is tied to lack of blameworthiness. Punishment should only fall on the guilty after due process.

Irregular Violence

Violence initiated by individuals or groups, often seen as unjustifiable unless motivated by a sufficiently weighty cause.

Conceit of Divine Justification

The delusion of acting in concert with a higher power to justify violence, disregarding conventional limitations and distinctions.

Private Judgment

The potential for individuals or states to undermine international law by reserving to themselves the right to judge its application, leading to hazards.

U.N. Resolution on Human Rights of 1968

A U.N. resolution that confers immunity on those 'not taking part in hostilities' during war, though the interpretation of this phrase can vary.

Black September

A Palestinian terrorist organization responsible for the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.