Looking back at older wars like WWII and even Vietnam, I cannot find any modern examples of terrorism. When did this "hybrid threat" arise and take the place of wars against countries? We seem to worry a lot less about country vs. country now since most threats are just smaller groups like ISIS and al Qaeda. We see acts like the shootings in Paris and the bombings in Boston, when did this all seem to start?
Thank you in advance!
Terrorism is a tricky term to define and is widely disputed. Who is or isn't a terrorist is even more contentious.
Around the 11th century the Hashshashin were too small to engage in large scale military operations and so they assassinated key people like governors and military commanders.
Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot is often called a terrorist act.
The Irish IRA formed in 1916 and killed over a dozen police officers in 1920 Bloody sunday and went on to commit multiple acts of violence against the British.
There were many incidents of violence directed at the British during the colonisation/occupation of India. Depending on perspective you could say they were fighting for freedom or terrorists.