In the Age of ISIS, Who's a Terrorist, and Who's Simply Deranged?

"The age of the Islamic State, in which the tools of terrorism appear increasingly crude and haphazard, has led to a reimagining of the common notion of who is and who is not a terrorist. Instances of wanton violence by deranged attackers are swiftly judged to be the work of terrorists - even when there is little immediate evidence that the attackers had direct ties to terrorist groups. Such ominous warnings about indiscriminate violence create formidable challenges for world leaders, who must strike a balance of raising awareness about the terrorist threat without gratuitously stoking fears.“Every attack is discussed endlessly on television and social media, which heightens fear of future attacks, makes citizens scared of one another” and puts pressure on governments to look tough."