Terrorism and Counterterrorism Studies : Comparing Theory and Practice. 2nd Revised Edition

"Terrorism has arguably been one of the defining factors of our age. In many parts of the world, it has been one of the most important threats to peace, security and stability. But what does this exactly mean? What is the nature of this threat? What can be done about it or how can we at least limit the impact of terrorism? These are just a handful of questions that will be addressed in this book that consists of three parts. First it focuses on the essence of terrorism as an instrument to achieve certain goals and the difficulties in defining it. The second part provides an overview of the state of (counter)terrorism studies. The most interesting results of this academic field are examined and compared with empirical evidence with the aim to either stress their importance or to debunk them as myths. The final part looks into the implications and possibilities for policy making. Terrorism has arguably been one of the defining factors of our age. In many parts of the world, it has been one of the most important threats to peace, security and stability. But what does this exactly mean? What is the nature of this threat? What can be done about it or how can we at least limit the impact of terrorism? 0These are just a handful of questions that will be addressed in this book that consists of three parts. First it focuses on the essence of terrorism as an instrument to achieve certain goals and the difficulties in defining it. The second part provides an overview of the state of (counter)terrorism studies. The most interesting results of this academic field are examined and compared with empirical evidence with the aim to either stress their importance or to debunk them as myths. The final part looks into the implications and possibilities for policy making Terrorism has been one of the most important threats to peace, security and stability in many parts of the world. But what does this mean? What is the nature of this threat? What can be done about it and how can we at least limit the impact of terrorism? These are just a handful of questions that will be addressed in this book that consists of four parts. First it focuses on the essence of terrorism as an instrument to achieve certain goals and the difficulties in defining the term. The second part provides an overview of the state of the art of terrorism studies. The most interesting results of this academic field are examined and compared with empirical evidence with the aim to either stress their importance or to debunk them as myths. The final part looks into the impact of terrorism, recent developments and their implications for both academics and policymakers. Contents List of boxes & figures Preface About the authors Acknowledgements 1 Definition and nature of terrorism 2 History of terrorism 3 Terrorism studies 4 Assumptions about terrorism 5 Assumptions about counterterrorism 6 Dealing with the impact of terrorism 7 Trends and developments in (counter)terrorism and a future research agenda Index