Terrorism: Understanding the Global Threat

Praise for the first edition:

‘a clear and accessible survey of terrorists’ motives and methods, strengthened by tables, and helpful chronologies from 1968 to the present’ The Economist

‘There is a need for a clear, concise introduction to terrorism… David Whittaker has provided us with just that.’ Peter Hylarides, Contemporary Review

Today, terrorism is everyone’s concern. Although it is not a new phenomenon – there have been more than 8,000 attacks over the past thirty years - the scale and seemingly indiscriminate nature of terrorist incidents have escalated in recent years. 9/11 and 7/7 are dates now engraved in the minds of millions, dates that have become a short-hand pointing to the consequences of political instability of the modern world.

In this new edition of Terrorism: Understanding the Global Threat, David J. Whittaker explores terrorist scenarios across the globe, from Northern Ireland to the United States. He considers terrorism’s causes and characteristics, taking on topics as diverse as religious fanaticism, global diffusion, terrorist financing and the possibility of biological attack. He also investigates the successes, failures and possible futures of counter-terrorism.

By untangling difficulties of definition and dispelling simplistic notions of what terrorism means, he shows that both word and action have changed over time, and that its meaning is different for every user, whether onlooker, victim, goverment authority or the terrorists themselves.

David J. Whittaker is a retired university lecturer and prolific author. His recent titles include Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the Contemporary World (2005), The Terrorism Reader (2002), and Conflict and Reconciliation in the Contemporary World (1999).

This is an accessible account of the concept of terrorism, specifically looking at how it has shaped and been shaped over the past fifty years.

• Includes new analysis of the London bombings of July 7, 2005 and particular attention will focus on the government and public’s reaction to this terrorist attack in comparison with other countries such as the USA and Spain

• Topical - terrorism is the most urgent international theme of today and tomorrow

David Whittaker is the author of The Terrorism Reader (2002).