State terrorism
While the most common modern usage of the word terrorism refers to civilian-victimising political violence by insurgents or conspirators, several scholars make a broader interpretation of the nature of terrorism that encompasses the concepts of state terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism. Michael Stohl argues, "The use of terror tactics is common in international relations and the state has been and remains a more likely employer of terrorism within the international system than insurgents. Stohl clarifies, however, that "[n]ot all acts of state violence are terrorism. It is important to understand that in terrorism the violence threatened or perpetrated, has purposes broader than simple physical harm to a victim. The audience of the act or threat of violence is more important than the immediate victim."
Conservative terrorism
Conservative terrorism is a type of terrorism, associated with state loyal terrorism, that is carried out by militants intending to eliminate threats which they believe should have been eliminated by a state's security forces. A conservative terrorist group is one which uses terrorism in order to defend the existing order or to gain a reversion to an earlier arrangement.