There are screaming headlines as I look at the morning newspapers:

Terrorism keeps rearing its head in India because of unresolved issues like Kashmir, a hostile neighbour, ethno-religious sanction to violence as a means to settle disputes, and a wide network of support by likeminded religious individuals and groups united in the 'cause'. Ease of availability of lethal weapons, indoctrinated youth, compliant businessmen and scientists, and citizens from within who harbour and aid terrorists, all add to compound the problem.

It's a grim battle, really. No easy solutions in sight.

A useful paragraph on Terrorism is in the Wikipedia:

Terrorism refers to a strategy of using violence, or threat of violence to generate fear, cause disruption, and ultimately, to bring about compliance with specific political, religious, ideological, and personal demands^[1]. The targets of terrorist attacks typically are not the individuals who are killed, injured, or taken hostage, but rather the societies to which these individuals belong. Terrorism is a type of unconventional warfare designed to weaken or supplant existing political landscapes through capitulation or acquiescence, as opposed to subversion or direct military action. The broader influence of terrorism in the modern world is often attributed to the dramatic focus of mass media in amplifying feelings of intense fear and anger.

State terrorism more specifically refers to violence and threats of violence, embargoes and other forms of terrorism against civilians by the government of a state.

The rest of the article is worth a close look too.

The very first Mens Sana Monograph (MSM) was titled:

Psychiatric consequences of the WTC collapse and the Gulf War.

It's available at

Ajai

12 July 2006