Time, What Is Time? Past, Present, and Future in Political Violence

Political violence is deeply embedded in how actors interpret the past, act in the present, and imagine the future. While the ‘temporal turn’ in Politics and International Relations has examined time in relation to counterterrorism practices and the dynamics of violent events, less attention has been paid to how perpetrators of political violence themselves conceptualise time. This paper addresses this gap by analysing the temporal imaginaries of terrorists and violent extremists and their implications for understanding political violence across time. Violence is frequently justified as part of a long-term struggle that draws on historical grievances, present crises, and future-oriented promises. The paper distinguishes between kronos – linear, measurable time – and kairos – the meaningful moment for action – and develops a typology of temporality that conceptualises time as a weapon, commitment, prophecy, blueprint, goal, apocalypse, or nihilism. Drawing on historical and contemporary cases, the analysis demonstrates how different temporal frameworks shape the persistence, evolution, and future trajectories of political violence. By foregrounding temporality, the paper contributes to debates on long-term trends, legacies, and emerging forms of political violence.