Terrorism should be viewed as a humanitarian issue. The prevailing view in the United States, and the West in general, is that terrorism is mainly a strategy of revolutionary groups or of totalitarian nations and is mainly a strategy of the political Left. In contrast, theoreticians of the Soviet Union and other members of the socialist world regard terrorism as a strategy of imperialists, headed by the United States. Although both these theories contain elements of truth, they result in inattention to the fact that terrorism itself is unacceptable. In fact, both the United States and the Soviet Union have major roles in the rapid expansion of terrorism. Both nations have given financial and military support to nations and groups that aid, abet, and promote terrorism throughout the world. A middle view is needed that emphasizes the complexity of terrorism and recognizes that it occurs in many political and cultural contexts. Removing analyses of terrorism from the political sphere will permit accurate assessments of who terrorists are and how to deal with them effectively without abandoning democratic processes. Without a public outcry to force different perspectives on terrorism, counterterrorist measures that are politically motivated will continue to erode the democratic processes. Photographs, chapter reference notes, and analyses of terrorism in Northern Ireland, Great Britain, West Germany, the Middle East, Sri Lanka, and India.