Terrorism is a longstanding and worldwide phenomenon. It has diverse targets. Tactics are becoming increasingly sophisticated due to modern technology and communications. However, terrorists are not mindless; they are not criminals in the ordinary sense; and they are not mentally ill. Instead, the profile developed by Russell and Miller revealed that terrorists tend to represent the overeducated and underemployed middle and lower middle classes who blame society for their problems. Thus, the causes of terrorism may lie in real problems affecting particular groups of people; these problems are understandable only with respect to their position in an existing social and political order. The groups most likely to experience a crisis in their socioeconomic position, particularly in the context of political change, are also those most likely to become terrorists. Case examples and reference notes