Terrorism at the global level can be divided into two sub-categories: international terrorism and transnational terrorism. International terrorism is terrorism that is carried out by sects of individuals on behalf of a sovereign state. It is state-sanctioned brutality which furthers a goal of the state without directly implicating the state in the process. For example, in the 1960s, Communist Russia trained thousands of individuals of different nationalities in terror techniques. These terrorist groups attacked much of Eastern Europe in the name of Communism. Russia, however, was able to protect itself from attack from the United States by placing the blame squarely on the terrorist groups themselves.

In contrast, transnational terrorism is terrorism that is carried out by groups of individuals acting autonomously. Whereas they may receive support from various countries, they are furthering their own goals

Terrorist action is defined by six criteria. The acts must include violence or the threat of violence; it must be a crime under federal/state law (i.e. arson, murder); it is usually a violation of the laws of war (i.e. hostage taking, bombing civilians); there must be a political goal; the individual must be part of a group or cause; there must be an attempt to influence a group of people through the one action (i.e. bomb schoolchildren to intimidate the country's leaders into giving away land.)

Can terrorist action be justified as civil disobedience? After all, Malcolm X, a strong black rights leader, proclaimed: "by any means necessary". It could, therefore, be suggested that terrorism is a logical extension of this view. This cannot be the case because terrorism is not civil disobedience due to its methodology. Terrorists seek to prove themselves in a militant manner. They feel that recognition as an army gives them and their cause more acceptance in the civilized world. During the course of their 'military' actions, however, they break almost every rule of war as set out by the United Nations: the deliberate application of violence against civilian non-combatants, the seizure of hostages, the maltreatment of prisoners...Thus, even if terrorists were given the status of combatants, they would still be committing crimes.

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