Are terrorists criminals or combatants? Should their acts be compared to the bombings of Dresden or to the misdeeds of Mafia bosses and drug barons? Should they be judged by the ethical standards of just war theory or by the criminal code? The author argues here that classifying terrorist acts as criminal does not necessarily condemn them as immoral. However, the classification is important because it has a bearing on how we morally judge these actions. She explores these distinctions and their bearing on morality in this chapter.
