Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Understanding the New Security Environment, Readings and Interpretations (Textbook)

In this new edition of TERRORISM AND COUNTERTERRORISM: UNDERSTANDING THE NEW SECURITY ENVIRONMENT, READINGS AND INTERPRETATIONS, Brigadier General (Retired) Russell Howard and Major Reid Sawyer have collected original and previously published seminal articles and essays by political scientists, government officials, and members of the nation’s armed forces. The editors and several of the authors write from practical field experience in the nation’s war on terrorism. Others have had significant responsibility for planning government policy and responses. The contributors include a majority of the significant names in the field including General (Retired) Wayne Downing (former Deputy National Security Advisor), General (Retired) Barry McCaffrey, Martha Crenshaw, Bruce Hoffman, Barry Posen, Jessica Stern. Part One of the book analyzes the philosophical, political, and religious roots of terrorist activities around the world and discusses the national, regional, and global effects of historical and recent acts of terrorism. In addition to material on the threats from suicide bombers, as well as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons, there are also important contributions analyzing new and growing threats: narco-terrorism, cyber-terrorism, genomic terrorism, and agro-terrorism. Part Two deals with past, present, and future national and international responses to--and defenses against--terrorism. Essays and articles in this section analyze and debate the practical, political, ethical, and moral questions raised by military and non-military responses (and pre-emptive actions) outside of the context of declared war. The two detailed Appendices are: Background Information on Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations; Chronology of Significant Terrorist Incidents, 2002-2004.

Terrorism and Counterterrorism, Second Edition

Part I. Defining the Threat

Chapter 1. Defining the Threat

1.1 Bruce Hoffman, from "Defining Terrorism," Inside Terrorism (Columbia University Press, 1998)

1.2 Paul R. Pillar, from "The Dimensions of Terrorism and Counterterrorism," Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy (Brookings Institution Press, 2001)

1.3 Eqbal Ahmad and David Barsamian, from Terrorism: Theirs & Ours (Seven Stories Press, 2001)

Chapter 2. Why Terrorism?

2.1 Martha Crenshaw, from "The Logic of Terrorism: Terrorist Behavior as a Product of Strategic Choice," in Walter Reich, ed., Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind (Woodrow Wilson Center Press, 1998)

2.2 Audrey Kurth Cronin, from "Behind the Curve: Globalization and International Terrorism," International Security (Winter 2002/2003)

Chapter 3. The New Terrorism

3.1 Brigadier General Russell D. Howard (Ret.), from “Understanding Al Qaeda’s Application of the New Terrorism—The Key to Victory in the Current Campaign,” An Original Essay Written for This Volume (2003)

3.2 John Arquilla, David Ronfeldt, and Michele Zanini, from "Networks, Netwar, and Information-Age Terrorism," in Ian O. Lesser, John Arquilla, Bruce Hoffman, David Ronfeldt, Michele Zanini and Brian Jenkins, Countering the New Terrorism (RAND Corporation, 1999)

3.3 Rohan Gunaratna, from “Post-Madrid Face of Al Qaeda,” The Washington Quarterly (Summer 2004)

3.4 Matthew Levitt, from “Untangling the Terror Web: Identifying and Counteracting the Phenomenon of Crossover Between Terrorist Groups,” SAIS Review (Winter 2004)

Chapter 4. Religion and the Intersection with Terrorism

4.1 Magnus Ranstorp, from "Terrorism in the Name of Religion," Journal of International Affairs (Summer 1996)

4.2 Mark Juergensmeyer, from "The Logic of Religious Violence," in David C. Rapoport, ed., Inside Terrorist Organizations (Columbia University Press, 1988)

4.3 Mark Sedgwick, from “Al-Qaeda and the Nature of Religious Terrorism,” Terrorism and Political Violence (Winter 2004)

4.4 Quintan Wiktorowicz, from “A Genealogy of Radical Islam,” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (vol. 28, 2005)

Chapter 5. Weapons of Mass Destruction

5.1 Richard K. Betts, from "The New Threat of Mass Destruction," Foreign Affairs (January/February 1998)

5.2 Adam Dolnik, from “All God’s Poisons: Re-Evaluating the Threat of Religious Terrorism with Respect to Non-Conventional Weapons,” Monterey Institute International Studies Report Prepared for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (2003)

5.3 Richard F. Pilch, from “The Bioterrorist Threat in the United States,” Monterey Institute International Studies Report Prepared for the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (2003)

5.4 Michael Eastman and Robert B. Brown, from "Security Strategy in the Gray Zone: Alternatives for Preventing WMD Handoff to Non-State Actors," Defeating Terrorism (2003)

5.5 John Ellis, from “Terrorism in the Genomic Age,” Terrorism and Counterterrorism (2003)

Chapter 6. The Threat of Other Forms of Terrorism

6.1 Barry R. McCaffrey and John A. Basso, from "Narcotics, Terrorism and International Crime: The Convergence Phenomenon," An Original Essay Written for This Volume

6.2 Bruce Hoffman, from “The Logic of Suicide Terrorism,” The Atlantic Monthly (June 2003)

6.3 Ami Pedahzur, from “Toward an Analytical Model of Suicide Terrorism—A Comment,” Terrorism and Political Violence (Winter 2004)

6.4 Madeleine Gruen, from “Terrorism Indoctrination and Radicalization on the Internet,” An Original Essay Written for This Volume

6.5 Chris Dishman, from “The Leaderless Nexus: When Crime and Terror Converge,” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (vol. 28, 2005)

Part II. Countering the Terrorist Threat

Chapter 7. The Challenges of Terrorism to a Free Society

7.1 Richard K. Betts, from "The Soft Underbelly of American Primacy: Tactical Advantages of Terror," Political Science Quarterly (2002)

7.2 Bruce Hoffman, from "A Nasty Business," The Atlantic Monthly (January 2002)

7.3 Boaz Ganor, from "Dilemmas Concerning Media Coverage of Terrorist Attacks," The Counter-Terrorism Puzzle, A Guide for Decision Makers (Transaction Publishers, 2005)

7.4 Mark Basile, from "Going to the Source: Why Al Qaedas, Financial Network Is Likely to Withstand the Current War on Terror Financing," Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (2004)

Chapter 8. Strategies and Approaches for Combating Terrorism

8.1 General Wayne A. Downing (Ret.), from "The Global War on Terrorism: Re-focusing the National Strategy," An Original Essay Written for This Volume

8.2 Brigadier General Russell D. Howard (Ret.), from "Preemptive Military Doctrine: No Other Choice," An Original Essay Written for This Volume (2005)

8.3 Barry R. Posen, from "The Struggle Against Terrorism: Grand Strategy, Strategy, and Tactics," International Security (Winter 2001/02)

8.4 Paul R. Pillar, from “Counterterrorism after Al Qaeda,” The Washington Quarterly (Summer 2004)

8.5 Steven Simon and Jeff Martini, from "Terrorism: Denying Al Qaeda Its Popular Support," The Washington Quarterly (Winter 2004/2005)

Chapter 9. Organizing to Fight Terrorism

9.1 Martha Crenshaw, from "Counterterrorism Policy and the Political Process," Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (2001)

9.2 Rob de Wijk, from "The Limits of Military Power," The Washington Quarterly (Winter 2002)

9.3 Richard H. Shultz, Jr., from "Showstoppers: Nine Reasons Why We Never Sent Our Special Operations Forces After Al Qaeda Before 9/11," The Weekly Standard (January 26, 2004)

Appendices

Appendix A Background Information on Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations
Appendix B Chronology of Significant Terrorist Incidents, 2002-2004