Landes defines political violence as “violence related to government and politics whose aim is to alter the pattern and results of the political process by non-legitimate means” (Landes 34).
Political violence is usually initiated by individuals or groups that regard a government as illegitimate, with the intention of either intimidating or making demands on that government. However, political violence also includes any (non-legitimate) force used by government itself.
Ongoing terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan is a contemporary example of political violence, as are most contemporary acts of terrorism.
