We sometimes believe that state-sponsored terrorism is a modern phenomenon and generally a
weapon of rogue regimes. When we do so, however, we are forgetting the lessons of the past;
these demonstrate that it had been used almost two centuries ago by what at that time was
considered to be a liberal democracy. Examining these now largely forgotten incidents reminds
us that state-sponsored terrorism is not an end it itself but a tool that can be used by any state if
the circumstances are right Examining how this threat was met and overcome can be instructive
for us today and is in line with some of today’s holistic approaches to counterterrorism.