Essentials of Terrorism: Concepts and Controversies
SAGE Journal Articles
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INTRODUCTION TO THE ARTICLES
The study of terrorism and political violence is a challenging field of study that requires experts, students, and members of society to understand the underlying reasons for the growth of terrorist environments, as well as the characteristics of these environments. Those who examine terrorism must necessarily study data and theories grounded from a variety of disciplines, including political science, conflict resolution, history, psychology, sociology, and the administration of justice.
Societies and the international community are perennially challenged by the problems of dissident and state-sponsored terrorism. These problems are not new, and have historically posed very serious policy and human challenges for governments and resident populations. Unfortunately, these are problems that have not been solved, and which continue to be present on a global scale. Political violence is found in many regions, and exists across many ethno-national, religious, and ideological belief systems. There are no ideal political, national, or social profiles that guarantee immunity from the possibility of being touched by terrorist violence.
The purpose of this online resource is to stimulate critical discussion about the attributes and idiosyncrasies of terrorism and terrorist environments. This resource is organized into thematic parts which correspond to the textbook’s chapters. Articles have been selected from reputable scholarly journals, and additional articles are recommended for further study.
The study of terrorism and political violence is a challenging field of study that requires experts, students, and members of society to understand the underlying reasons for the growth of terrorist environments, as well as the characteristics of these environments. Those who examine terrorism must necessarily study data and theories grounded from a variety of disciplines, including political science, conflict resolution, history, psychology, sociology, and the administration of justice.
Societies and the international community are perennially challenged by the problems of dissident and state-sponsored terrorism. These problems are not new, and have historically posed very serious policy and human challenges for governments and resident populations. Unfortunately, these are problems that have not been solved, and which continue to be present on a global scale. Political violence is found in many regions, and exists across many ethno-national, religious, and ideological belief systems. There are no ideal political, national, or social profiles that guarantee immunity from the possibility of being touched by terrorist violence.
The purpose of this online resource is to stimulate critical discussion about the attributes and idiosyncrasies of terrorism and terrorist environments. This resource is organized into thematic parts which correspond to the textbook’s chapters. Articles have been selected from reputable scholarly journals, and additional articles are recommended for further study.
TEN CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS
- Does a central cause exist which explains terrorist violence?
- Is it possible to accurately predict the likelihood of terrorist violence?
- What are the policy implications of research that indicates an association between political repression and subsequent terrorist violence?
- Do “hard line” approaches effectively reduce the incidence of terrorism?
- Are particular socio-economic environments responsible for the formation of terrorist environments?
- Are innovations such as peace processes effective?
- How popular is the current “war on terrorism?” What explains different public opinions in different countries?
- What are some of the challenges faced by reformers who sincerely seek to redress grievances that are championed by violent extremists?
- How important are international organizations such as the United Nations for preventing terrorist violence?
- Has enough research been conducted on the sociological and psychological causes of extremist behavior?
Chapter Twelve: Future Trends and Predictions
Clauset, Young, and Gleditsch report and discuss research on the frequency and severity of terrorist events since 1968. A longitudinal historical dataset on domestic terrorism in Europe is presented and discussed by Jan Oskar Engene. Heng and McDonough discuss the need to develop new analytical frameworks for examining options for countering terrorism. Karin Jordan assesses two crisis intervention techniques available to counselors when catastrophic events occur. Policy alternatives to the war on terrorism are presented and evaluated by Arnd Jürgensen. In Matthew Kemp’s article, an interesting analysis is made of parallels between the modern war on terrorism and the French war in Algeria (1954-1962). Mitton discusses the future regional impact of his posited failure of NATO in Afghanistan on the Pakistan-India rivalry. Jo Morgan analyzes and critiques the utility of American approaches to hate crime legislation as they pertain to Australia. Oliverio and Lauderdale suggest avenues for future research on terrorism. According to Jacek Salij moral suasion, rather than legalistic reactions, is the best approach for counteracting terrorism. Patricia Sullivan discusses the question of why seemingly powerful nations lose limited wars.