In society, as in relationships between people, there are always different aspirations, directions, convictions. And often, if people cannot agree with words, they resort to violence. In recent years, everyone has heard the concepts of "terror", "sabotage", "undermining" ... The concept of terrorism has undergone significant changes over the past few centuries (after all, the term itself is quite young compared to the history of mankind). The transformation of the methods and goals of terrorist groups affects the form of its expression in society. Modern terrorism is no longer considered a form of war in the traditional sense of the word, but rather as "sabotage" aimed at undermining the stability of the state. Changes in the term itself require careful analysis, since only by understanding the very essence of the threat can one resist it.

An important aspect of the new concept of terrorism is the change in the motivation of terrorists. If earlier the main driver was ideological or political goals (sometimes religious), today everything has changed. Terrorism is often used as a tool to achieve personal interests (in the case of a lone terrorist), or economic (group) interests. Sometimes, acts of terrorism are simply an attempt to destabilize the social situation (due to the impotence to change the situation).

All of the above shows that it is necessary to study the methods of terrorists in more depth and analyze the reasons that motivate individuals to join the ranks of terrorist organizations.

The purpose of this article is to explore the concept of modern terrorism, where the emphasis shifts from the traditional form of war to sabotage.

The objectives of the study are:

1. analysis of historical examples illustrating the transition from “classical” terrorism to new forms – sabotage;
2. study of the terms “war”, “terrorism”, “sabotage”;
3. forming one’s own understanding of the term “terrorism”, which is relevant in today’s realities;
4. research into the methods and goals of terrorist groups;
5. awareness of the role of modern technology and globalization in the evolution of methods used by terrorist organizations.

The subject of the research is directly the concept of modern terrorism.

The object of the study is terrorist groups, their strategies and methods. Also, the object of the study can include society (and, more globally, the state) as the "victim" party.

The new concept of modern terrorism requires a rethinking of the approach to its study in order to combat it. Traditional methods are outdated and insufficient. It is necessary to develop new strategies, taking into account the change in modern realities. Only a comprehensive approach will allow us to effectively cope with the threat of terrorism.

This article can be used by specialists in the field of philosophy and sociology. After all, understanding the changes in the philosophy of terrorism, in the intentions and goals of the direct perpetrators of attacks is the key to forming effective strategies to eliminate such threats. Ultimately, the research conducted in this article is aimed at forming the perception of modern terrorism as a dynamic phenomenon.

Main part. Although the term "terror" originates from the Latin word "intimidation, fear", it came into use closer to our time - after the "Period of Terror" during the revolution in France. But, of course, the historical context of the concept of "terrorism" covers many eras and cultures. In Table 1, the author, relying on the works of [16], examined the key stages in the development of terrorism as a phenomenon.

Table 1. Key stages in the development of terrorism as a phenomenon

It should be noted that terrorism continues to evolve, taking on new forms. Single acts of violence (the so-called "lone wolf") and cyberterrorism have become common . Although political, social and religious motives remain the main background of this phenomenon, terrorist acts are often committed for economic reasons. An example is the actions of the terrorist group "Boko Haram " in Nigeria. This group, in addition to its ideological goals, also uses violence to control resources. Attacks on oil infrastructure, kidnapping employees of oil companies are aimed at obtaining funds to finance their activities. Probably referring to them, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that terrorists are "mercenaries of contractors", and contractors of a political and economic nature [14].

The methods and goals of terrorist groups have also changed significantly in recent years. Whereas previously most terrorist organizations used traditional forms of violence: hostage taking, terrorist attacks (with obvious political overtones), with the development of technology and changes in socio-political conditions, terrorists have begun to use more complex strategies. This change is due to the need to adapt to the reactions of society and government structures to their activities.

As a result, terrorist acts become covert, using more sabotage methods - capturing the weak, stabbing them in the back. In addition, if earlier terrorism mainly pursued political and religious goals, now it is often an instrument of destabilization in a certain territory. After all, very often, violation of public order does not entail any benefit (for example, the explosions of the "twin towers" in the USA). If earlier (we can recall the assassination attempt on Minister Stolypin in Russia at the beginning of the last century) terrorist acts were open, bright, flashy - acts of intimidation - today, instead of open military actions, terrorists choose covert operations aimed at destroying the state's infrastructure. And only after panic appears among the civilian population, a terrorist organization declares its involvement. Changing the tactics of terrorist organizations requires states to strengthen security and implement comprehensive strategies to prevent terrorist acts.

Terrorist groups increasingly use information technology to achieve their goals. The Internet has become a powerful tool for recruiting new members and spreading ideology. Attacks are also planned using instant messengers. Social networks allow terrorists to instantly influence a huge audience, creating an atmosphere of fear in society. Not only the terrorist acts themselves, but also their "summary" (for example, open letters to the media), or videos on various channels (with the appearance of executions of captured terrorists) are capable of changing the situation in a particular region. For example, to reduce tourist flows, or "force" the leadership to cancel a festival or summit. This change in the methods of fighting terrorism has led to the fact that terrorist acts are planned and carried out much faster than ever before. And the economic cost of their implementation is decreasing.

The goals of terrorist groups have also become more diverse. Whereas previously the focus was on political change (such as regime overthrow), many organizations now strive for social and cultural change. For example, ISIS is not simply trying to create a new state (we will not evaluate the success of this intention in this article) based on an ideology that goes beyond traditional nationalism. It is trying to motivate surrounding states to pay attention to itself, to negotiate with itself as an equal player in the political arena, while pursuing policies that contradict the ethical and moral standards of other states. This expansion of goals makes the fight against terrorism today an even more difficult task.

As has already been noted, many terrorist organizations have begun to use tactics aimed at destabilizing society as a whole. This manifests itself in acts of violence aimed at creating interethnic or religious conflicts. Ultimately, all this leads to a deterioration in public safety. Violation of social order does not lead to the achievement of any goals by terrorists. Terrorists, therefore, do not strive to achieve their primary goals, but to create chaos that affects a large part of the population. This change in the philosophy of terrorism is frightening because its actions are impossible to predict.

Although ideology and politics play a key role in the formation of terrorism, defining its goals, methods and motivation of participants, very often the leaders of terrorist groups use ideological foundations to justify their actions. To attract supporters, they create narratives that “justify” violence in the eyes of certain segments of the population. This is done to strengthen their legitimacy. After all, political instability and social inequality often serve as fertile ground for the growth of various extremist ideologies. Radical ideas become attractive in conditions of lack of justice and prospects for young people (for example, in Russia before the abolition of serfdom). People who feel isolated and defenseless seek solace in extremist movements. Having united under their auspices, people try to change the existing order of things.

Ideologies based on religious, nationalistic or political principles often become the basis for the creation of terrorist organizations. The leaders of such groups try to legitimize violence with the help of a convenient interpretation of sacred texts, or with the help of a favorable interpretation of the actions of the authorities. Such an interpretation fits best into the minds of the illiterate population, intimidated and uneducated. All this creates a vicious circle: terrorists become not only the executors, but also the ideologists of the new world. Forming new views of the world, they do not give their followers a chance to raise their level of education in order to realize that they are being manipulated [13].

On the other hand, the clash of different worldviews, ways of life, and different standards of living is also a cause of terrorism. After all, this is inherent in the nature of man as an individual: "the freedom of one ends where the freedom of another begins."

Terrorism from a philosophical point of view can be viewed through several key aspects that the author identified in the author’s model based on the works of  [9] (Fig. 1).

Also, one can note the questions of ethics and responsibility that philosophy addresses: for example, questions of responsibility both for terrorists and for those who support or justify their actions (what are the moral consequences for those who support terrorist acts? How should society respond to terrorism from an ethical point of view?).

Figure 1. Key aspects of terrorism.

Philosophical research in the context of terrorism also touches upon psychological aspects, such as radical extremism. And philosophical analysis of the motives behind terrorist actions includes questions about free will, the choice of a person as an individual, and the formation of a person's identity as a person.

Having examined the history of terrorism and the methods it uses, it is necessary to move on to the evolution of the concept of terrorism, that is, to an understanding of the definition of this term. no single approach to defining this term. This is not surprising: some countries do not encounter such a thing (for them, an approach that heavily criminalizes such an act seems strange, since it can lead to abuse by law enforcement agencies); for some, this is not a problem (African countries); and some countries that have suffered the most at the hands of terrorists include in their criminal codes or special anti-terrorist laws the possibility of recognizing an act as a terrorist act by analogy [1][8]. The Criminal Code of the Republic of Croatia [1] (as of 2019, the terrorism index in the Republic of Croatia is zero) [6] contains a clear list of acts recognized as terrorist acts. Each of these views contributes to an increase in the terrorist threat. This will be demonstrated below.

And analyzing dictionaries, for example, the dictionary of V.I. Dahl, we note that there “terrorism” is defined as intimidation by death penalty, murder and all the horrors of frenzy [5]. But the big legal dictionary characterizes terrorism as the policy and practice of terror, a type of violent crime (while the concept of terror is considered as physical violence, up to and including physical destruction, murder of political competitors) [3].

The Oxford English Dictionary defines terrorism as the use of violent action to achieve political goals or to force a government to act [11]. And the French dictionary, the Grande Encyclopedie de Larousse, defines terrorism as a set of violent acts (attacks, hostage-taking, etc.) committed by an organization or individual to create an atmosphere of insecurity, blackmail government bodies, or satisfy hatred toward society, the country, or the established system [18].

Our domestic theoretician M.A. Starodubtseva understands terrorism as a strategy ( political or military) that is expressed in the deliberate use of violence against an individual, the desire to give a high degree of publicity to this act, which will instill fear in the adherents of any social, economic or political group and, as a result, will become the engine for achieving political or other goals [16].

Thus, we can derive the author's definition of this concept (based on the listed features): "terrorism is the targeted use of violence (physical or psychological) in order to achieve goals by a person or group of people, accompanied by a desire for publicity and mass influence on society. Terrorism, as a complex phenomenon that combines elements of violence, publicity and ideology, seeks to spread its views and cause fear, destabilization and conflicts in society".

If we consider the change in the concept of modern terrorism towards the subversive focus of activity, then it is necessary to compare the definitions under consideration. It seems that in philosophy, "war" is understood as an open confrontation, where the goals are more or less clear, and the opposing sides, without hiding, express their intentions and demands. Thus, we can say that earlier, terrorists also adhered to the "military" point of view in relation to their actions.

In order to more fully consider the difference between "war" (in the full sense of the word) and "sabotage", it is necessary to consider the definitions of these concepts. If the term "war" is more or less clear to everyone - it is "combat clashes", "uprisings", "partisan actions" [7], then "sabotage" requires a more detailed definition. In the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, "sabotage" is defined in Article 281 as "Public calls for the implementation of activities directed against the security of the state " [2].

"Sabotage" means the use of unexpected and destructive actions to destabilize a system (in the context of our work, a state). Therefore, terrorism, using sabotage, often takes the form of attacks on critical infrastructure, cyber-attacks. Using innovative technologies, terrorists gain an advantage over security services, since they sometimes surpass the latter in knowledge [20].

Abroad, the concept of "sabotage" is close to the concept of "sabotage". "Sabotage" is a French term [4]. It was originally used to describe the deliberate actions of employees of industrial enterprises during strikes to destroy the means of production. Therefore, this is used to characterize actions that undermine the power of a country (often economic and military) without open military action. Actions of this kind include undermining railway tracks or explosions of fuel depots.

As we see, if earlier terrorists used obvious types of struggle: they indicated their position immediately before the terrorist attack, today the media increasingly often transmits information of this kind: "responsibility for the terrorist attack was taken upon itself... by an organization." That is, terrorism is becoming more covert. And new technologies help it in this.

Modern terrorist acts that are acts of sabotage take many forms. And people are not their primary targets. Here are a few examples. In 2016, Turkey experienced a series of attacks on its power grid as part of a broader campaign to destabilize the country [19]. The PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) terrorist organization carried out sabotage on power plants and power lines. This led to massive power outages and disruption of power supply to cities.

In 2017, Spain experienced terrorist attacks that, although aimed at civilians, were intended to cause chaos. The transport infrastructure was paralyzed. The use of cars and explosive devices caused significant damage. Public transport was paralyzed [15].

To the examples mentioned, we can add the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 (also called 9/11). In fact, it was a series of four coordinated suicide attacks carried out in the United States of America by members of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda.

Finally, we cannot fail to mention the series of cyber-attacks. In 2020, a series of cyber-attacks were recorded on hospitals in the United States, which disrupted their operations in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. These were not traditional physical sabotage, but such cyber-attacks represent a modern form of terror, targeting critical infrastructure. They endangered people's lives and caused panic [10].

These examples highlight the diversity of methods used by terrorists to carry out their attacks (as has already been shown, not always is a specific attack aimed at achieving the goal of a given terrorist organization, as sometimes an attack is carried out simply to destabilize the situation). Sabotage acts have a significant impact on society and the economy in modern society.

In conclusion, summing up the analysis of the reasons for the transition of terrorist organizations to sabotage methods of “work”, based on the analyzed literature [11,13], an author’s drawing was compiled, analyzing the factors that determine the transition of terrorist groups from open military actions to covert operations (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. Factors that determine the transition of terrorist groups from open military actions to sabotage

Taken together, the factors analyzed make the actions of terrorist groups very difficult to predict.

1. The historical context of the term "terrorism" shows that this phenomenon is constantly changing depending on socio-cultural and political conditions. This is precisely why it needs to be constantly analyzed. For example, the complexity of modern terrorism is, in particular, that it does not have a clear hierarchy and structure. Terrorist groups operate on the Internet, using instant messengers. This makes it difficult to identify them and, as a result, to catch them.
2. An analysis and comparison of the terms “war” and “sabotage” allows us to conclude that terrorism used to use more open methods of confrontation with the authorities (“military”, for example, the assassination attempt on Stolypin), but has now moved on to sabotage activities – blowing up vehicles, sabotage at oil facilities.
3. Based on the analysis of the views on the term "terrorism" by various authors, our own definition has been formulated: " terrorism is the targeted use of violence (physical or psychological) in order to achieve goals by a person or group of people, accompanied by a desire for publicity and mass influence on society. Terrorism, as a complex phenomenon that combines elements of violence, publicity and ideology, seeks to spread its views and cause fear, destabilization and conflicts in society."
4. The methods and goals of terrorist acts are examined. It is concluded that more comprehensive strategies that take into account technological developments and changing social conditions are needed to combat terrorism as a phenomenon.
5. Understanding the role of modern technologies and globalization in the evolution of methods used by terrorist organizations provides an answer to the question of how to counteract this phenomenon: effective cooperation is only possible with a comprehensive approach. It is necessary to combine efforts both at the level of states and international organizations, and to conduct (and conduct constantly) large-scale propaganda about the danger of terrorism among citizens.

Thus, this article contributes to the study of current problems of modern terrorism. New approaches to its analysis will help to find approaches to effective counteraction.

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