Understanding Terriorism and Political Violence (Cass Series on Political Violence)

This book explains the lifecycle of terrorist organizations from an innovative theoretical perspective, combining economics with social psychology. It provides a new approach to understanding human behaviour in organized society, and then uses this to analyze the forces shaping the lifecycle of violent political movements. Economic and rational-choice theorists assume that human beings are motivated only by self-utility, yet terrorism is ultimately an altruistic act in the eyes of its participants. This book highlights the importance of the desire to belong to a group as a motivating factor, and argues that all of us face an eternal trade-off between selfishness and community concern. This hypothesis is explored through four key groups; the IRA in Northern Ireland, Al Qaeda, Hamas, and the Naxalites in India. Through this, the book analyzes the birth, growth, transformation and demise of violent political movements, and ends with an analysis of the conditions which determine the outcome of the war against terrorism. Understanding Terrorism and Political Violence will be essential reading for advanced students of terrorism studies and political science, and of great interest to students of social psychology and sociology. "This book provides a multidisciplinary approach to understanding human behavior and uses it to analyze the forces shaping the life cycle of violent political movements. This new edition has been revised and updated, with three new chapters being added. The 2nd edition takes us deeper inside human motivations, which cause otherwise rational people to join dissident groups, willing to kill and be killed. In doing so, the book draws upon research on brain science, evolutionary biology, and social psychology to help explain pathological collective behavior. From the motivations of individual participants, the book turns to the evolution of terrorist groups by venturing into theories of organizational development. Together, these theories explain the life cycle - the birth, growth, transformation from an ideological group to a criminal syndicate, and demise -- of a dissident organization. These hypotheses are supported with detailed case studies of three disparate terrorist movements: the nationalists of the IRA, the communist Naxalites of India, and the religious fundamentalists of al-Qaeda and ISIS. The book's theory leads to an explanation of the current global trend of rising tribalism and authoritarianism. The author warns that this latest wave of xenophobia and authoritarianism is likely to be exacerbated by climate change and the consequent rise in sea-levels, which could displace millions from the areas least able to mitigate the effects of global warming to the countries that can. This book will be essential reading for students of terrorism studies, and of great interest to students of social psychology, political science and sociology"-- Provided by publisher Presents two inter-related objectives, proposing a theory of human behaviour and then analyzing terrorism in the light of this general theory. This work book provides an understanding of the lifecycle of terrorist organizations. It also examines the role of the authorities in promoting, maintaining, and suppressing violent dissent This ambitious book has two inter-related objectives, proposing a new theory of human behaviour and then analysing terrorism in the light of this general theory. It will be essential reading for advanced students of terrorism studies and political science, and of great interest to students of social psychology and sociology This book explains the lifecycle of terrorist organizations from an innovative theoretical perspective, combining economics with social psychology. It offers a new approach to understanding human behaviour, and uses this to analyze the forces shaping the lifecycle of violent political movements Dipak K. Gupta. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [215]-273) And Index.