44
point of such violence which seeks to make a normative statement rather than seriously degrade
state-based military targets or affect the material balance of resources. Times that challenge
established notions regarding relevant ideological forms in global politics. Religion, constructed
in historically novel ways, still can have an elemental role in defining international struggles, as
evidenced by al-Qaeda’s internationalization of Islam. Times that challenge assumptions in
international law on such fundamental issues as when the use of force is permissible. This has
caused divisive cracks in long-standing alliances and notions of polarity in international
relations. Times that challenge long-established understandings of international humanitarian law
on issues which would have previously appeared to be straightforward, such as the definition of
an enemy combatant or what to do with prisoners-of-war after a partial conflict is settled. 9/11
was indeed an epochal event, one with lessons for international relations theory and, more
immediately, an understanding of what underlies the self-interest of a group such as al-Qaeda, its
strategic and normative evolution, and how its construction of identity has impacted on domestic,
regional, and global politics.
Convention