The theoretical assumptions of this paper are that the political elite succeed in repressive governmental situations in using the discourse of terrorism and fear as public policy in manipulating the people to consent and subordination. Using a state-society perspective in the situations and experiences of two countries and post-structural views of reality as constructed by language, the paper examines terrorism as manipulation, and argues that the phenomenon will be with us for some time because it is fueled by political expediency and sustained by self-serving media establishments. The practice, from the French Revolution era has been for the political elite in different nations to articulate the imminent danger in one situation or another to keep a people distracted or to pursue certain political objectives as create fear in the people in order to manipulate them at home, and also in the conduct of foreign policy. In the different situations across the world including the lure of empire, the one thing that seems to serve the purpose of politicians who resort to the terrorism discourse to promote their agenda is the political stage, as well as military and media power. Because these politicians control the political stage, the military, and many media establishments, they impose their reality on everyone else such that a good majority seems to believe, as gospel, everything that the powerful media brings to them as they sensitize and frame policy issues. The paper makes the claim, however, that the resort to terrorism as political manipulation can be a successful governance ploy for only sometime.