Terrorism is,
in the broadest sense, the use of intentionally indiscriminate violence as a
means to create terror, or fear, to achieve a political, religious or
ideological aim. It is used in this regard primarily to refer to violence
against peacetime targets or in war against non-combatants. The
terms "terrorist" and "terrorism" originated during the French
Revolution of the late 18th century but gained mainstream popularity
during the U.S. Presidency of Ronald Reagan (1981–89) after the 1983
Beirut barracks bombings and again after the attacks on New York City
and Washington, D.C. in September 2001 and on Bali in October 2002.
