ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out to consider some of the problems that cluster around the concept of political violence, starting with an examination of the boundaries between political violence and other forms of violence. It will review changes in the patterns of political violence over the last 30 years or so, from an earlier focus on international wars to more recent challenges, including those presented by the Global War on Terror in the early years of the twenty-first century. It will conclude by exploring exit routes from political violence and the consequences of its ending through military victory or through a negotiated settlement.
