The Carolina Seminar on Comparative Islamic Studies co-sponsored this lecture with the Duke University Seminar on Globalization and Equity. Terrorism is a real entity that needs a consistent, realistic definition. Rhetorically, the term terrorist is often used for the enemy s fighters while a term such as freedom fighter is related to one s own fighters. The United States government is as terrorist as any other when people treat the actions of all violent actors according to the same criteria. Such consistent criteria include the ends to which the violence is used and the sustainability and quality of the change the violence creates.
Globalization highlights the tenuousness of the dichotomy between state and non-state actors.
Although people assume the contrary, states are often not concerned with issues of legality, consistency, and accountability. International law does not support NATO action in Kosovo. The United States is operating illegally there, it has not acted consistently in response to other genocidal conflicts, and it has not been held accountable for its actions. The United States State Department acts in the interest of the state and then searches for legal support for that action. International law recognizes sovereignty within a state s territory and holds the state accountable for attacks that begin within its territory.