[Terrorism] Vendetta -- Wikipedia

Vendetta originated in societies with no central government (or where the central government did not consider itself responsible for mediating this kind of dispute) where family and kinship ties were the main source of authority. An entire family was considered responsible for whatever one of them had done. Sometimes even two separate branches of the same family could come to blows over some matter. The practice has mostly disappeared with more centralized societies where law enforcement and criminal law take responsibility of punishing the lawbreakers.

Marc Says: Many aspects of the behavior of the Islamic terrorists seem to me to conform very closely to this concept of escalating vendetta. I gather that a Vendetta is an long-recognized aspect of "Honour". I also note that bin Laden issues personal fatwas proclaiming the laws the Westerners have broken and for which they must be punished (any Westerner or infidel will do, they are all guilty).