What do people try to gain through terrorism?

What do people try to gain through terrorism?

Erroll Southers (Former Deputy Director of the California Department of Homeland Security) gives expert video advice on: What are the most common misconceptions people have about terrorism?; What do people try to gain through terrorism?; Who is most likely to commit an act of terrorism? and more...

Terrorism is perpetrated or carried out because you have an asymmetrical situation. You have a group, an entity, that can't match against the power that they're trying to go up against. In all cases, they're trying to make some kind of political statement, sometimes religious, sometimes truly political, sometimes other, but it's asymmetrical. So you've got a small power, if you will, against a much larger, immense power. They're trying to achieve a balance. The balance is constant fear, constant threats, and the occasional attack, which is successful against a power that is much, much larger than they are.