Weinberg, Leonard. Global Terrorism: A Beginner’s Guide.Explains the history of terrorism, what is new about al Qaeda’s type of terrorism, the conditions that give rise to terrorism, the types of individuals that become terrorists, the nature of governments’ responses, and how terrorism ends.
Sloan, Stephen. Terrorism: The Present Threat in Context.
Provides an overview of the meaning and history of terrorism, the rationale that drives terrorists to conduct such warfare, their strategies and tactics, the psychological impact of terrorism on the targeted society, and future trends in terrorist warfare.
Provides an overview of the meaning and history of terrorism, the rationale that drives terrorists to conduct such warfare, their strategies and tactics, the psychological impact of terrorism on the targeted society, and future trends in terrorist warfare.
Martin, Gus. Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues.
A comprehensive textbook for university courses that covers the spectrum of all issues involved in studying terrorism, ranging from the early history of terrorism, how terrorism is defined, causes of terrorism, the “morality” of terrorist violence, the objectives, tactics and targets of terrorists, the role of the media, the phenomenon of religious terrorism, the role of women in terrorism, the nexus between terrorism and organized crime, terrorism in the United States and internationally, the components of counterterrorism, and future terrorism trends.
Hoffman, Bruce. Inside Terrorism.
One of the most widely read books on terrorism. It incorporate the new developments and trends in terrorism, particularly since 9/11’s catastrophic attacks by al Qaeda. It discusses how to define terrorism, the origins of contemporary terrorism, the internationalization of terrorism, the role of radical religions in driving terrorism, suicide terrorism, the exploitation by terrorist groups of old (e.g., print) and new (e.g., Internet) media, terrorists’ objectives, “tradecraft,” technological innovations in use of weapons, targeting, and future trends in terrorist warfare.
Bjorgo, Tore (ed.) Root Causes of Terrorism: Myths, Reality and Ways Forward.
Based on a workshop that was held in Oslo, Norway, in June 2003 to explore concepts and methodologies to conduct analysis on root causes of terrorism.
Horgan, John. The Psychology of Terrorism.
A good psychological study that seeks to explain the drivers that motivate individuals to become terrorists, function as terrorists, and, in ideal cases, disengage from terrorism.
Sageman, Marc. Understanding Terror Networks.
An original study on how individuals are driven to join terrorist organizations. Utilizing his background as a forensic psychiatrist, political sociologist, and former CIA case officer in Pakistan, the author bases his study on his knowledge of radical Islamic ideologies and a compilation of dozens of biographies of terrorist operatives, which enable him to generate a multitude of findings on trends in recruitment and operational warfare by today’s jihadi operatives.
A comprehensive textbook for university courses that covers the spectrum of all issues involved in studying terrorism, ranging from the early history of terrorism, how terrorism is defined, causes of terrorism, the “morality” of terrorist violence, the objectives, tactics and targets of terrorists, the role of the media, the phenomenon of religious terrorism, the role of women in terrorism, the nexus between terrorism and organized crime, terrorism in the United States and internationally, the components of counterterrorism, and future terrorism trends.
Hoffman, Bruce. Inside Terrorism.
One of the most widely read books on terrorism. It incorporate the new developments and trends in terrorism, particularly since 9/11’s catastrophic attacks by al Qaeda. It discusses how to define terrorism, the origins of contemporary terrorism, the internationalization of terrorism, the role of radical religions in driving terrorism, suicide terrorism, the exploitation by terrorist groups of old (e.g., print) and new (e.g., Internet) media, terrorists’ objectives, “tradecraft,” technological innovations in use of weapons, targeting, and future trends in terrorist warfare.
Bjorgo, Tore (ed.) Root Causes of Terrorism: Myths, Reality and Ways Forward.
Based on a workshop that was held in Oslo, Norway, in June 2003 to explore concepts and methodologies to conduct analysis on root causes of terrorism.
Horgan, John. The Psychology of Terrorism.
A good psychological study that seeks to explain the drivers that motivate individuals to become terrorists, function as terrorists, and, in ideal cases, disengage from terrorism.
Sageman, Marc. Understanding Terror Networks.
An original study on how individuals are driven to join terrorist organizations. Utilizing his background as a forensic psychiatrist, political sociologist, and former CIA case officer in Pakistan, the author bases his study on his knowledge of radical Islamic ideologies and a compilation of dozens of biographies of terrorist operatives, which enable him to generate a multitude of findings on trends in recruitment and operational warfare by today’s jihadi operatives.
Gurr, Nadine and Cole, Benjamin. The New Face of Terrorism: Threats from Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Treats the subject of the actual and potential resort by terrorist groups to warfare with weapons of mass destruction is an issue of great concern to the governments that might be targeted by such intentions.
Weimann, Gabriel. Terror on the Internet: The New Arena, the New Challenges.
A comprehensive study of this issue, terrorists have established a sophisticated and dynamic presence on the Net, which has completely transformed the way they communicate, obtain information, conduct propaganda, and issue threats. They use it to radicalize and recruit new members, raise funds and train, organize and carry out warfare, and then broadcast such incidents on their own websites.
Kohlmann, Evan F. Al-Qaida’s Jihad in Europe: The Afghan-Bosnian Network.
Studies the way in which a fragile state with a Muslim majority, Bosnia afforded Osama bin Laden’s Saudi, Egyptian, and Yemeni lieutenants, and their North African “jihad foot soldiers” with a safe haven to establish the infrastructural seeds for the European and Canadian “sleeper cells” that would threaten Western European states and America in the succeeding years.
Bergen, Peter. Holy War: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden.
Based on first-hand investigative reporting and interviews with bin Laden, his associates, and counterterrorism officials.
Bergen, Peter. The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda’s Leader.
An update for the above book by drawing on primary documents and interviews with more than fifty people who knew Osama bin Laden personally.
Roy, Olivier. Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah.
Discusses the driving forces behind the revival of militant Islam in Western Europe and explains how many Muslims in Western Europe have turned to radical Islamic ideologies as a way of coping with political and psychological crises in their own lives and what they perceive to be threats against their Muslim brethren around the world.
Khosrokhavar, Farhad. Suicide Bombers: Allah’s New Martyrs.
Discusses a key manifestation of radical Islamic terrorism being suicide martyrdom bombings, in which the goal of the perpetrator is to kill himself (or herself) together with the intended victims. It also discusses the concept of martyrdom in Islam, how it expresses itself in Iran, Palestine (vis-à-vis Israel), and Lebanon, and al Qaeda’s use of martyrdom in its worldwide operations.
Bell, Stewart. In The Martyr’s Oath: The Apprenticeship of a Homegrown Terrorist.
Chronicles the story of Mohammed Jabarah, a young Canadian Muslim of Kuwaiti origins who became radicalized and recruited by al Qaeda for a bombing mission in Singapore in 2001.
Gertz, Bill. Breakdown: How America’s Intelligence Failures Led to September 11.
Places the blame on the lack of political will and judicial constraints by successive administrations and bipartisan Congressional leadership to vigorously counter al Qaeda’s growing threat.
The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.
Provides the most comprehensive critique of the events and policies that led to 9/11. There are numerous questions regarding its glossing of evidence that more may have been known than what was included in its report by U.S. intelligence units.
Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11.
A sweeping and extensively researched narrative of the events leading to al Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks.
Suskind, Ron. The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America’s Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11.
Argues that the failure to anticipate 9/11 led the Bush administration to overreact by adopting a new pre-emptive counterterrorism doctrine in which even a “one percent” likelihood of a weapons of mass destruction detonation was sufficient cause to act against a terrorist group or hostile state, such as Iraq.
Levitt, Matthew. Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad.
Explains how Hamas was able to blend terrorism, political activism, and social welfare services to become the dominant force in the Palestinian territories.
Kushner, Harvey and Davis, Bart. In Holy War on the Home Front: The Secret Islamic Terror Network in the United States.
Asserts that for more than two decades a secret network of Islamic extremists belonging to al Qaeda and Hamas has been entrenching itself in American society, where some of them function as leaders of local and national Islamic organizations and charities, religious preachers, soldiers, drug smugglers, and prison chaplains.
Levitas, Daniel. The Terrorist Next Door: The Militia Movement and the Radical Right.
Cautions that far-right extremist groups in America have always posed a terrorist threat, as exemplified by Neo-Nazi groups such as the Aryan Nations and individuals such as Timothy McVeigh.
Ganor, Boaz. The Counter-Terrorism Puzzle: A Guide for Decision Makers.
Identifies terrorist threats and delineates ways in which governments can most successfully counteract them.
Gross, Emanuel. The Struggle of Democracy Against Terrorism: Lessons from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel.
A study of the legal challenges and moral dilemmas faced by democracies in balancing security against civil liberties, human rights, and the rule of law in countering the threats posed by terrorists.
Sauter, Mark A. and Carafano, James Jay. Homeland Security: A Complete Guide to Understanding, Preventing, and Surviving Terrorism.
A theoretical and practical treatment of terrorism, counter-terrorism, and homeland security. Can be seen as a reference resource for those seeking to understand how terrorists operate and the structures and mechanisms that have been developed to respond to the magnitude of the terrorist threats confronting us.
