# Hasan Piker's Terrorism Claim Sparks Debate > Hasan Piker says U.S. kills more people than al-Qaeda pound for pound, sparking backlash. - Title: Hasan Piker's Terrorism Claim Sparks Debate · Newsweek - Summary: Hasan Piker says U.S. kills more people than al-Qaeda pound for pound, sparking backlash. Hasan Piker claimed the U.S. caused more deaths than al-Qaeda pound… - Keywords: hasan piker, al-qaeda, terrorism, united states, george w bush, costs of war project, international humanitarian law, state terrorism, military law, geoffrey corn, bruce hoffman, mary ellen oconnell - Source: Newsweek — https://newsweek.com/what-is-terrorism-hasan-pikers-controversial-al-qaeda-remarks-dissected-12462410 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: hasan piker, al-qaeda, terrorism, united states, george w bush, costs of war project, international humanitarian law, state terrorism, military law, geoffrey corn, bruce hoffman, mary ellen oconnell ## Piker's Controversial Claim Hasan Piker told Axios the U.S. has killed more people than al-Qaeda pound for pound in terrorism. > Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes ## Immediate Backlash Republicans demanded Democrats disavow Piker, while Democrats called his comparison anti-American hate. > comparing America to al-Qaeda wasn't an accident ## Piker's Defense Piker denied linking his remark to Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed and called Axios clickbait. > much weight to the statements made by a social media streamer ## Terrorism Definition History The term 'terrorism' existed before 9/11 but gained political weight after the attacks. > the word 'terrorism' existed in law and scholarship long before September 11, 2001 ## Geoffrey Corn's View Corn, a U.S. Army law expert, says terrorism involves unlawful violence targeting governments or spreading terror. > Terrorism generally involves 'the use of unlawful violence, usually intentionally targeting people or things' ## Bruce Hoffman's View Hoffman defines terrorism as non-state actors creating fear through violence for political change. > the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear through violence or the threat of violence by non-state actors ## Mary Ellen O'Connell's View O'Connell argues international law, not domestic statutes, defines terrorism since the 1930s. > It is the only authoritative source of rights, duties, and definitions for all ## Costs of War Data Brown University's Costs of War Project found 4.5 million indirect deaths in post-9/11 wars including civilians. > the project's total climbs past 4.5 million ## Al-Qaeda's Toll Al-Qaeda's confirmed deaths total 2,977 from 9/11 plus a few hundred from other operations. > the September 11 attacks killed 2,977 people ## Legal Distinction International law prohibits intentionally targeting civilians but allows incidental deaths if proportional. > the law does not prohibit inflicting civilian casualties as long as they were not the intentional target ## State Terrorism Concept Scholars call state terrorism violence by states designed to terrorize populations but it lacks legal definition. > the distinction that many terrorism scholars draw is between terrorism, violence by non-state actors, and state terror ## Accountability Gap The U.S. has few disciplinary actions for civilian casualties versus al-Qaeda's lack of legal accountability. > no accountability mechanism exists for al-Qaeda's leadership beyond military and intelligence operations ## Piker's Comparison Piker's claim equates incidental U.S. civilian deaths with deliberate al-Qaeda killings. > Piker's comparison touches, whether he intended it or not, on a concept scholars call state terrorism ## Academic Consensus Experts agree U.S. civilian deaths under international law are not terrorism while al-Qaeda's actions are. > Every person killed in the Iran War has been killed unlawfully ## Key takeaway Hasan Piker claimed the U.S. caused more deaths than al-Qaeda pound for pound, drawing immediate political criticism and academic debate over terrorism definitions.