It can be described as the biggest enemy that humanity has ever faced the disease that spears nobody, the global problem of a globalized world. But, in fact, these are merely poetic descriptions of a very dynamic and complex phenomenon, which can hardly be defined and characterized as it changes so rapidly – without us knowing it – and takes so many different forms and shapes from one day to the next. It is terrorism, the threat of pure fear which exists everywhere or anywhere in today's world.
             In such a context, this paper is an attempt to sketch out the basics of terrorism as the experience that has altered the world order as we used to know it. The definition of terrorism, if there is such a thing, will be the starting point of our discussion; it is essential to then characterize the terrorist "movement" and its components, trying to pinpoint its objectives, to identify its causes and to view possible solutions which might help in discouraging this harmful practice. Furthermore, to have a clear perspective of this phenomenon, we are going to try to analyze both points of view – those of the terrorists and their adversaries. The end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first have seriously been affected by terrorism – as a means of expressing frustrations, as a debate subject, as the target of governmental actions or simply as a source of international fear.
             The United States Department of Defense defines it as "the calculated use of violence or the threat of violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological." Similarly, the United Nations perceive terrorism as any act "intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any a...