BIOSECURITY AND BIOTERRORISM
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT ONE
PROF. EDWARDS

INSTRUCTIONS: Please answer the following in a complete, yet concise, manner using APA format for your citations and references. Single or double-spacing for your four or less page response (excluding references) may be used. A traditional font (e.g. Calibri, Arial, or Times Roman) in an 10 or 11 font size is preferred. Remember to clearly delineate quotations and paraphrasing through the use of quotation marks or other conventional methods.

I. Based on the readings, the greatest deterrent in finding a universal definition of terrorism deals with each countries subjective views of legitimacy. The definition of terrorism seems to be culturally biased with some groups related the legitimacy of terrorism to the person who is carrying out the act and not the act itself. The interesting part is that the idea of moral is questionable to some countries. Prior to the attacks of 9/11, the major difference between the Us’s definition of terrorism was the absence of the term “weapons of mass destruction” which is now prvelant in our anti terror agenda. In the years following the attack on September 11 the idea of terrorism, primarily in the US, has been seen as based on a political agenda. I choose to look a the United States’ definition or terrorism as well as the Arab Convention for the Suppression of Terrorism’s definition of terrorism. In 1998, the Arab Convention for the Suppression of Terrorism was already addressing an issue that other countries in the world wouldn’t focus on heavily until the beginning of the War on Terrorism following 9/11. There definition does not specify a specific agenda or threat and focuses on the advancement of any criminal agenda. I found this particularly interesting being that the media puts so much emphasis on the political connection that