Understanding Terrorism : Groups, Strategies, and Responses

by Poland, James M.

• ISBN13: 9780131127159
• ISBN10: 0131127152
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-01-01
• Publisher: Prentice Hall

Summary

This comprehensive and completely up-to-date book provides a straightforward introduction to terrorism that helps readers better understand this complex subject.The book identifies terrorist groups, reviews terrorist tactics, and examines police and government responses to reduce or eliminate the incidence of terrorism. Fully updated to include coverage of Al Qaeda, suicide bombers, specific threats posed by weapons of mass destruction, and the latest counter-terrorism strategies,Understanding Terrorism: Groups, Strategies and Responses2e brings together the latest scholarship and coverage of the latest world events to bring you the most complete and most current introduction to terrorism book currently available.Reaches a broad audience from the criminal justice professional to the vigilant civilian.

Table of Contents

List of Tables

List of Figures

Preface

Acknowledgements

Concepts of Terror and Terrorism

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Definitional Problems and Terrorism

Morality of Terrorism

Definitions of Terrorism

Terrorist Apologies

Terrorist Atrocities

Purpose of Terrorism

Conclusions

Key Terms

Review Questions

Websites

Endnotes

Historical Antecedents of Terrorism and Violence

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Sicarii and Zealots

The Assassins and Other Secret Societies

Narodnaya Volya

The Anarchist Tradition

Terrorism in the United States

Puerto Rican Independence

The Jewish Defense League (JDL)

The Ideological Left

The Ideological Right

Single Issue Terrorist

Conclusions

Key Terms

Review Questions

Websites

Endnotes

Violence and Terrorism: The Role of the Mass Media

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Contagion Theory or the Copycat Syndrome

Propaganda Value and the Deed

United States

Law Enforcement

Censorship and Terrorism

Conclusions

Key Terms

Review Questions

Websites

Endnotes

The Palestine Question and al Qaeda

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Palestine Resistance Movement

Palestinian Extremism and the 1973 War

Rejectionist Front: Historical Preview

Invasion of Lebanon

Hizballah

Palestinian Authority

HAMAS and Islamic Jihad

Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades

Al Qaeda

Conclusions

Key Terms

Review Questions

Websites

Endnotes

Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations: The A List

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Palestinian Groups

The Philippines and Southeast Asia

Algerian Groups

Religious Cults

European Groups

Colombia

Peru

Central Asia

Iran

Conclusions

Key Terms

Review Questions

Websites

Endnotes

The Dynamics of Hostage Taking and Negotiation

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Early History of Hostage Taking

Typologies of Hostage Takers

Time, Trust, and the Stockholm Syndrome

London Syndrome

Guidelines for Hostage Events

U.S. Experience: Hostage Rescue

The Good Guys

Other Rescue Attempts

Surviving Hostage Situations

Conclusions

Key Terms

Review Questions

Websites

Endnotes

Contemporary Terrorism and Bombing

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Historical Perspective

Effects of an Explosion

Velocity and Explosives

Vehicle Bombs

Letter Bombs

Bombings Aboard Aircraft

Conclusions

Key Terms

Review Questions

Websites

Endnotes

Suicide Bombers: A Global Problem

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Defining the Problem

Suicide Bombers in the Mideast

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

Sikh Terrorism

Kashmiri Suicide Bombers

Kurdish Suicide Bombers: The PKK

Al Qaeda

Chechen Suicide Bombers

Other Suicidal Terrorist Groups

Summary

Conclusions

Key Terms

Review Questions

Websites

Endnotes

Counterterrorist Measures: The Response

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Security Measures

Intelligence Function

Counterterrorism Operations: Retaliation and Preemption

Covert Military Operations: Proactive Measures

Counterterrorist Operations: Reactive Measures

Special Operations

National Guard

HRT and NEST

Chemical and Biological Terrorism

United Kingdom and Israel

Legal Framework: Apprehension, Prosecution, and Punishment

Conclusions

Key Terms

Review Questions

Websites

Endnotes

Future of Terrorism

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Israel versus Palestinian Resistance Movement

Islamic Extremism

Low-Intensity Warfare

Super Terrorism

Influence of Terrorism on Democracy

Key Terms

Review Questions

Websites

Endnotes

Map References

Glossary of Te

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Understanding Terrorism: Groups Strategies and Responses,2e presents the essential lessons contained in the books, articles, and terrorist literature that have had the greatest impact upon the analysis of the terrorist strategy. The text is a synthesis in the respect that it brings together the divergent theories and methods that make up this dynamic field of scholarly inquiry. The book offers the various analytical approaches to the study of terrorism that identifies terrorist groups, reviews terrorist tactics, and examines police and governmental responses to reduce or eliminate the incidence of terrorism.The text is written for all those who will have to deal with future terrorist events and who today are struggling to understand the motivation of contemporary terrorist groups. This list includes criminal justice students, professionals in the criminal justice system, and any student wishing to gain more information on the phenomenon of "terrorism." To be well informed about terrorism, students and professionals in the field must be familiar with the concepts, techniques, and theories drawn from political science, social psychology, and sociology as well as from the traditional criminal justice literature. The scholars who have assembled the knowledge on terrorism are obliged to relate their concepts of terrorism to the solution of the terrorist problem. The students and professionals in the field who must eventually confront the problem of terrorism are expected. to keep up with new developments in terrorist theory and strategies, and to possess special training, knowledge, and skills. Future trends indicate the necessity of increasing personal and scholarly awareness of the threat of terrorism to global peace. Thus, it is hoped that this book provides the information and knowledge to understand better the concept of terrorism.However, terrorism must be kept in perspective. The terrorist threat is in reality a multiplicity of real and imagined threats, each originating from a different source and each presenting :a separate set of tactical and political problems. For example, the military .retaliatory bombing raid against Afghanistan for assisting in terrorist attacks against American targets is viewed as deterrent retaliation. At the same time, few policymakers would suggest that the U.S. military send F-111 bombers to attack the headquarters of the KKK, HAMAS, or Hizballah base camps in Southern Lebanon. In addition, most terrorists are not career criminals, insane fanatics, or government surrogates, but ordinary individuals driven to -violence by what they see as unacceptable social conditions or by radical religious political beliefs.Clearly, the most confounding problem in the study of terrorism is arriving at a definition acceptable to all. Few people want to be called terrorists; terrorism is essentially what the other side has done. This is why there is no satisfactory political definition and no common academic consensus as to the essence of terrorism. For example, were the bombers of the Marine Compound in Beirut "terrorist criminals" or heroic "freedom fighters?" Which terms best describe the PIRA or the Tamil Tigers? Where there is political consensus, problems of definition are moot. Where there is no political consensus, definitions have a tendency to polarize differences. Ours are freedom fighters and commandos; yours are terrorist fanatics. So numerous are the definitions of terrorism proposed by scholars and policymakers that recently the focus of terrorism has shifted to the intimidation of "soft" civilian targets as an "unbiased" technique for defining terrorism. This textbook presents and compares several of the more popular definitions in the belief that each contributes to the growth of understanding terrorism.The plan of the book is presented in the following manner. The fundamental concepts and theories of terrorism are summarized in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 briefly