Analysis of Michael Walzers View on Terrorism Essay -- Terrorism Essa

Michael Walzer is an view retired professor from the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Walzer has pen m both books, essays, and articles. His essay, Excusing Terror, is one that best relates to the current events happening around the world. In this essay, Walzer talks about different reasons that people would want to resort to terrorism. In this essay I will argue Walzers view on terrorist act is correct in that terrorism is wrong because it is akin to murder, it is hit-or-miss in who it targets, and no one has immunity. I will also offer an objection to Walzers theory and explain why it is not a legitimate one. First to determine if terrorism is in fact skillful or wrong we must understand what it is. Although there is not a prevalent explalanded estate to describe terrorism I relate closely to Walzers definition which is a random murder of not guilty people, intended to frighten a population into demanding that their governments negotiate for their safety. In Walzers article Terrorism (Cahn, 239) he lists the purpose and methods of terrorism as to destroy the moral of a nation or a class, to undercut its solidarity its method is the random murder of innocent people. Innocent people or noncombatants, as people call them, be described as normal working civilians who do not free rein a role in the government or have any control of what is happening politically. These innocent people are the ones who are targeted with no regards to political affiliation, the only thing that makes them the target is simply belonging to a certain group. To offer an example in 911 innocent people were killed and were chosen only because they worked in the World Trade Center, they were not chosen for anything they had do politically. Wal... ...agree with. The hardest aspect of determining whether or not terrorism is morally right or wrong is the various definitions that it can have. As mentioned earlier I relate to Walzers definition of terrori sm and understand it as he does. As discussed I feel that terrorism is wrong because it is akin to murder, it is random in who it targets and when, and no one has immunity. There are objections to this argument which is that ceremonious war is worse than terrorism therefore if war is justifiable past terrorism can be as well. As argued the difference amongst war and terrorist is the way of choosing your victims, which in my mind refutes this objection. Terrorism exists and whether it is right or wrong can be argued respectfully. Works CitedCahn, S.M. (2011). Exploring Ethics An Introductory Anthology, second Edition. (pp. 239-253) Oxford University Press