Essentials of Terrorism: Concepts and Controversies
SAGE Journal Articles
Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.
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 Three: Causes of Terrorist Violence
Daniel Bar-Tal offers a conceptual framework for understanding intractable conflicts. Randy Blazak reports research on the targeted recruitment of youths by American hate groups. Brian Burgoon investigates the impact of social welfare policies on the causes of terrorism. Dietrich discusses how the implementation of anti-terrorism policies may increase the risk of provoking increased resistance. Examining the case of U.S. neo-Nazi subcultures, Mark Hamm discusses subcultural conditions which make terrorism possible. Israel Michael’s article explores the ideological concept of free speech within the context of “assaultive” speech that offers little value to social discourse. Lauderdale and Oliverio’s essay summarizes the necessity for critical discussions on the subject of terrorism. Research on the effect of online hate group activity on adolescents is discussed by Elissa Lee and Laura Leets. Piazza examines the relationship between poverty and terrorism, and possible association with minority economic discrimination. Sandler reviews the analytical study of terrorism within the context that all participants are rational actors. In a second contribution, Sandler also identifies the main contributions of empirical and theoretical literature on terrorism. Amartya Sen critically examines how the theories of the culture of societies and theories of political economy of power and inequality explain violence in global society. Tessler and Robbins explore why terrorist violence against the United States garners some sympathy among some members of the Arab populace. Wade and Reiter conduct quantitative tests on the hypothesis that a relationship exists between regime type and suicide terrorism. The association between mental illness and terrorist violence is reviewed by Watherston and Moran.