TYPOLOGIES OF TERRORISM Just as there is no one good definition of terrorism, typologies do not account for all forms of terrorism. Typology development in criminology and criminal justice scholarship seems to exist for the ease of teaching. Prof. Eskridge's Terrorism Page, from his course on terrorism out in Nebraska has some graphic examples of typologies, but it should be noted that typologies of terrorism are usually NEITHER motive-based NOR behavior-based, like they are in other areas of criminological study, such as the areas of profiling and street crime (the exception being Hacker's typology of terrorists by traits, included below). This is evident from the following examples commonly found in textbooks and/or in the strangely confused way the media reports what is going on in times of terrorist-related crisis or war (Hess & Kalb 2003). In the following typologies, notice in the headings how the types are classified in different ways.

|Terrorism Classified by Place |
|1. Domestic -- by residents of a country within that country |
|2. International -- by representatives of a country against another country |
|3. Non-state -- extremism and revolution for its own sake |
|4. State-sponsored -- by a government against its own people or in support of international |
|terrorism against another government |
|5. Internecine -- conflict that spills over into another country or fought on foreign soil |

|Terrorism Classified by Personality Trait |
|1. Crazies -- strong survival attitude, but not based in reality; self-centered; goals clear only to |
|perpetrator; irrational and unpredictable; strikes at random |
|2. Crusaders -- sacrificial, death attitude; blends politics and religion; seldom willing to negotiate; |
|task-oriented and indifferent to risk; seeks publicity and largest group possible |
|3. Criminals -- strong self-preservation attitude; selfish; seeks gain and is task-oriented; avoids high|
|risk; predictably targets small groups (Hacker 1976) |

|Terrorism Classified by Purpose |
|1. Political -- for ideological and political purposes |
|2. Nonpolitical -- for private purposes or gain |
|3. Quasi-terrorism -- skyjacking and hostage taking |
|4. Limited political -- ideological but not revolutionary |
|5. Official or state -- used by nation against nation or people |

|Terrorism Classified by Target |
|1. Mass terror -- targets general population |
|2. Dynastic terror -- selective targeting of individuals or groups |
|3. Random terror -- targets anybody in wrong place at wrong time |
|4. Focused random terror -- targets specific public places frequented by opposition |
|5. Tactical terror -- attacks government or politically attractive targets (Combs 2003) |

|Terrorism Classified by Issue |
|1. Revolutionary -- aims to replace the existing government by drawing out repressive responses which can |
|be exposed as inhumane (Red Army Faction, PLO, Hizballah) |
|2. Political -- heavily armed groups tending to be focused around supremacy, government intrusion, or |
|religious revisionism (Aryan Nation, Posse Comitatus, Freemen) |
|3. Nationalist -- promotes the interests of a minority or religious group that has been persecuted under |
|majority rule (Sikh radicals, Muslim fundamentalism) |
|4. Cause-Based -- groups devoted to a social or religious cause using violence to address their grievances |
|(Islamic Holy War, Abortion clinic bombings) |
|5. Environmental -- groups dedicated to slowing down development they believe is harming animals (Animal |
|Liberation Front, Earth 1st) |
|6. State-sponsored -- when a repressive regime forces its citizens into total obedience (Brazil, Colombia, |
|Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Iraq, Sudan, Haiti) |
|7. Nuclear -- outlaw states possessing nuclear threats (Libya, North Korea) |
|8. Genocide -- when a government seeks to wipe out a minority group in its territory (Cambodia, Rwanda, |
|Bosnia, Iraq, Turkey) |
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What most typologies are attempting to get at are tactics unique to the modes of attack. There are five (5) tactics that terrorist use and four (4) modes of attack, or types of weapons used. The tactics can be either basic or advanced, depending upon how well-trained the terrorists are at guerilla warfare. The basic tactics are: (1) rolling, in which the terrorists drive a vehicle by in what amounts to a hit-and-run maneuver; (2) ambush, which is a standard platoon-level military maneuver drawing the enemy into a line of fire; (3) standoff, which is a back-against-the-wall maneuver, usually with an escape plan; and the advanced tactics are (4) boutique, which usually involve a combination of modes of attack, but are intended primarily to have a large impact; and (5) revenge, which also usually has a large impact, at least symbolically. The modes of attack, or weapon systems, are (1) traditional -- when makeshift or ordinary weapons are used; (2) technological -- when weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear, chemical, or biological, are used; (3) cyber -- when viruses, computer attacks, or destruction of information infrastructure occur; and (4) narco -- when flooding a market with drugs is used. In addition, certain other factors are known as "force multipliers" which allow small groups to operate on a higher level. The four (4) force multipliers are: (1) technology; (2) transnational support; (3) media; and (4) religion. Transnational support may be in the form of a diaspora, or a refugee or migrant group dispersed abroad. Fund-raising among the diaspora is a major source of income, and likewise, terrorists often rely upon crime to raise money. The six most common terrorism-related crimes are: (1) bombing; (2) hijacking; (3) arson; (4) assault; (5) kidnapping; and (6) hostage taking. There may or may not be certain connections between the force multipliers and types of crimes chosen. There are well-established patterns of using terror to accomplish political and business ends, and along these lines, one can distinguish between "democratic" and "rogue" regimes. Domestic and international terrorism spawned by a democratic regime is always more episodic than the systematic and enduring terrorism spawned by rogue regimes.

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