How to Tell "Fake" Terror from "Real" Terror

Fake or synthetic terror is certainly deadly and terrifying, but it is not "real" terrorism. Fake terror consists of one major, very high profile high body count attack without any follow up. It allows for maximum demagoguery by political leaders and can be used to cement political power by the group in power. Recent examples are the '95 Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11 and the 7/7/2004 London bombings. This type of terrorism is highly controlled, is set-up by state-intelligence operatives and utilizes patsies. Fake terrorism is counter-productive for the terrorist patsies, since one attack every few years can never be a successful strategy for defeating an enemy.

Real terrorism is a form of warfare, as seen in Iraq in the past two years, as in Israel during the 90's and early 2000's or as in Sri Lanka over the past two decades. There is a large aggrieved indigenous population that is willing to use extreme ends for their purposes. Real terrorism can be part of a successful overall strategy to achieve political power.