This new, revised and updated edition of Prof. Wilkinson's acclaimed Terrorism Versus Democracy examines the problem of liberal democratic response. It draws some key lessons from the recent experience of democracies, and in particular from the response of the US, and UK and the international community to the horrific events of 9/11.
New chapters attempts a candid interim balance sheet on the success and failures of the War on Terrorism and highlights major dangers which were emphasized in the first edition, such as over-reaction, over-reliance on the use of military force in an effort to suppress terrorism, and the adoption of measures which involve major curtailments of democracy, human rights and the rule of law which could undermine the very democracy one is trying to defend. The author argues that prior to 9/11 the general international response to terrorism was one of inconsistency, confusion and under-reaction. However, at the other extreme, resort to full-scale war in the name of combatingterrorism risks the sacrifice of far greater numbers of innocent lives than have ever been killed in non-state terrorist attacks. All these questions and many others are examined in Terrorism Versus Democracy.
A sequel to Wilkinson's (1986), this work concentrates on the problems of crafting and carrying out an effective response to terrorism that is both proportionate and compatible with the maintenance of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Rather than setting out the history of modern terrorism, Wilkinson (director, Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, U. of St. Andrews) draws on events from the past 30 years and identifies emerging trends to extract key lessons on strategies, policies, and measures to prevent and combat terrorism. He concludes that even relatively new and fragile democracies are not helpless in the face of terrorism, and that an appropriate response may effectively prevent or even eradicate terrorist violence. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
