Encyclopedia of Terrorism

"The most comprehensive and up-to-date work available on this subject…Essential for all academic and larger public libraries. "
—LIBRARY JOURNAL

The Encyclopedia of Terrorism presents authoritative coverage of what is currently one of the world’s most important topics. With more than 300 articles, the Encyclopedia provides detailed discussions of the who, what, where, when, and why of terrorism. Up-to-date and timely, the articles cover such topics as Al-Qaeda, biological terrorism, extremism, Saddam Hussein, jihad, Zacarias Moussaoui, and suicide bombers. Its concise, readable format and detailed chronology, photographs, maps, and charts make this an essential reference.

An internationally recognized expert on terrorism, Harvey Kushner has studied terrorism for more than three decades. He serves as a consultant on terrorism for a broad array of governmental and private agencies. In addition, his commentary appears regularly on Fox National News, CNN, the British Broadcasting Corporation, National Public Radio, Voice of America, and in articles in Reuters, The Associated Press, the Washington Post, and other newspapers and magazines worldwide. His expertise ensures that the entries, including contributions by other authorities in the field, are of the highest quality.

Key Features:

• More than 300 authoritative, in-depth articles
• Extensive, balanced coverage of terrorist groups (such as the IRA), key events (including September 11), people, terms, and statistics, as well as biographical, historical, and geographical information
• Cross-references to related entries at the end of each article
• Comprehensive, global coverage
• Valuable appendices include: list of government organizations, list of terrorist organizations, list of well known female terrorists, detailed list of further readings

Recommended Libraries

Public, academic, school, government, special, and private/corporate

"The author, a renowned terrorism expert and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at Long Island University in New York City, is a frequent commentator on CNN. He has produced an engaging single-volume encyclopedia, with over 300 entries, on the subject of terrorism worldwide. Appendixes include a chronology of terrorism from 1865 to the present, a list of web resources, an extensive bibliography, and maps noting the locations of terrorist activities around the world."--"The Top 20 Reference Titles of the Year," American Libraries, May 2004.

Kushner (criminal justice, Long Island U.) has written, spoken, and given expert testimony on the subject of terrorism. This compendium, which can serve as a starting point for research, presents some 450 entries offering information on the background and activities of groups and individuals, methods and specific events, government responses, and some theoretical perspectives on the subject. Entries range from about one page to several pages, and each includes cross references and a list for further reading. Appendices include maps, web resources, a chronology of attacks in the US and on US interests abroad. The bibliography is extensive, and the index is thorough. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Booklist

Although there is coverage of groups such as the Irish Republican Army and events such as the Munich Olympics massacre, the emphasis of this book is on terrorism in, or against, the U.S. In 300 A-Z entries Kushner, a well-respected researcher in this area, covers terrorist-related events, groups, individuals, methods, activities, and responses. Although he began work on the book a year prior to the events of September 11, 2001, he writes in his introduction that those events made the need for an authoritative reference source on terrorism more urgent, and many of the entries are connected to 9/11.

Entries generally range in length from half a page to three pages and include further readings. There is good basic coverage of internal American terror activities, including those by ecoterrorists, anticommunist Cubans, antiabortionists, and white supremacist groups. Cross-references help to direct reading within the text. Following the encyclopedia portion of the volume are several appendixes, including maps showing the locations of various terrorist events and a chronology of attacks on U.S. interests at home and abroad. The chronology lists as terrorism the assassinations of President William McKinley, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert Kennedy, but not that of President John Kennedy. An excellent bibliography lists a great deal of extended reading. A reasonable collection of Web sites gives a variety of news, research, and government sites; a nice addition to this list would be Web sites that offer dissenting and terrorist group views on their actions. A "Reader's Guide" at the front of the volume sorts entry headings into 32 categories, from "Abu Nidal Organization" to "World Trade Center Bombing, February 1993."

Encyclopedia of World Terrorism: 1996-2002 [RBB Ag 03] is more international in scope. Although its global coverage is not comprehensive, Encyclopedia of Terrorism is a solid piece of work with thorough coverage of U.S. terror groups of all varieties. It is worthwhile for its coverage of the topic and is recommended for academic and public libraries.

Harvey W. Kushner (Ph.D., New York University) is Professor and Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at Long Island University. An internationally recognized authority on terrorism, Kushner has shared his expertise with government agencies, including the FBI, Federal Aviation Administration, Immigration and Naturalization Service, and U.S. Customs. He also worked for the U.S. Probation Department as an analyst for criminal investigations, intelligence, and terrorism. He has advised and lectured on matters of international terrorism at the Naval War College, the FBI Academy, the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, and the United Nations in Vienna, Austria, among others. Kushner has experience with a variety of high-profile court cases involving international terrorism, including those involving the World Trade Center attacks. After the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, Kushner was asked to testify on terrorism and safety in New York City’s public spaces before the Committee of Public Safety of the Council of the City of New York. He was invited by 9/11 Commission to participate in a VIP-briefing before the release of its final report, and he appeared as a terrorism expert before the DHS’s Homeland Security Advisory Council. A variety of publications, including the New York Times, have called Kushner the “go-to-expert” for plain talk about the subject of terrorism. He can be seen regularly on CNN, the Fox News Channel, and MSNBC and in articles in the Associated Press, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. A widely published and best-selling author, Kushner’s work includes Holy War on the Home Front: The Secret Islamic Terror Network in the United States and the Encyclopedia of Terrorism, considered the gold-standard of terrorism reference works. As a member of the working press, Kushner is an associate editor for the Airport Press and writes a column about aviation security. Dr. Kushner’s career as a college administrator and professor spans more than three decades.