Political Science · Boston College
Terrorism, insurgency, and political violence are unfortunately all around us. Whether its the targeting of elected officials in the U.S. or the killing of civilians in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, or ongoing civil wars in Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, violence by and against non-state actors is the most common form of conflict in the 21st century. Are terrorism and political violence inventions from the modern era, or do they have a deeper past? What drives an individual to join an armed group? Why do some groups choose to employ violence, while others do not? Are terrorism
