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 Two: Historical Perspectives and Ideological Origins
Bartosz Bolechów argues that the United States has committed a number of policy mistakes that are associated with its being the target of terrorist violence. Stephen Chan interprets and discusses the theoretical writings of Frantz Fanon and links his theories to modern suicide bombings. Howard explains the importance of discovering the history of political thought. Richerd Chasdi offers an insightful investigation of a “resiliency continuum” that examines nation-state population resiliency to several spectacular terrorist events. Clauset, Young, and Gleditsch report and discuss research on the frequency and severity of terrorist events since 1968. R. Antony Duff argues that terrorists are entitled to be treated as enemy combatants. A longitudinal historical dataset on domestic terrorism in Europe is presented and discussed by Jan Oskar Engene. Mario Ferraro presents an historical comparison and analysis on the phenomenon of “martyrdom” in different cultures. Gray and Wilson report research on how people interpret the war on terrorism. Brian Levin discusses the origin and current state of Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism in the United States. An ideological perspective of 9/11—in this case, a Marxist perspective—is offered by Peter McLaren. Cas Mudde’s article is a comparative analysis of rightist racial extremism in Europe. Sela-Sayovitz examines social discourse among policymakers, the press and pressure groups after the emergence of a neo-Nazi gang in Israel. Alberto Rocha, an inmate in Calipatria State Prison in California, equates the domestic “war on gangs” with the “war on terrorism.” Sandler identifies the main contributions of empirical and theoretical literature on terrorism. Stephen Schwartz raises the critical issue of security within the contexts of renewed U.S. isolationism and misperceptions of the Muslim world. The U.S. Department of State and National Intelligence Council reports are useful reviews of the global terrorist environment. Peter Van Ham discusses how domestic diplomacy for the “hearts and minds” of the Muslim world is a key factor for waging the United States’ war on terrorism. Steve VanderHeiden explores the case for classifying attacks against inanimate targets—often practiced by ecological extremists—as acts of terrorism. Michael Walzer explores the application of standards of operations for special operations forces. Meredith Watts’ article examines xenophobic and neo-fascist tendencies within German youth cultures. Wheeler’s article examines moral theories that are available for analyzing the deaths of innocents in the war against terrorism.
Ferrero, Mario. “Martyrdom Contracts.” In Journal of Conflict Resolution, 50:6 (December 2006).
Schwartz, Stephen. “Security or Freedom First?” American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 51 (May 2008).
United States Department of State. The National Security Strategy of the United States. March 2006.
United States Department of State. “White House Counterterrorism Reports.”