U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

CONTEMPORARY TERRORISM - SELECTED READINGS

NCJ Number
48724
Editor(s)
J D ELLIOTT, L K GIBSON
Date Published
1978
Length
318 pages
Annotation
THIS TEXTBOOK WAS DEVELOPED BY EMINENT AUTHORITIES IN THEIR FIELD IN RESPONSE TO THE NEED FOR A THOUGHT-PROVOKING SOURCE OF INFORMATION ON TERRORISM.
Abstract
THE ARTICLES IN THIS ANTHOLOGY WERE SELECTED TO PROVIDE A BROAD BACKGROUND AND PERSPECTIVE ON CONTEMPORARY TERRORISM; THEY DO NOT DWELL ON SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES OF A SINGLE GROUP OR GEOGRAPHICAL REGION. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE FIRST SECTION IS TO BUILD A PERSPECTIVE BASED ON FACTUAL UNDERSTANDING. ARTICLES CONSIDERING THE IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF CONTEMPORARY TERRORISM ARE PRESENTED; EACH EMPHASIZES THE POLITICAL OBJECTIVES OF TERRORISM AND OFFERS COMMENTARIES USEFUL FOR SHAPING A RESPONSE WITHIN THE LAW. ARTICLES ARE PROVIDED ON THE STRATEGY OF TERRORISM, THE POWER OF TERROR, THE POLITICS OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM, THE DIAGNOSIS OF INTERNATIONAL AND TRANSNATIONAL TERRORISM, AND A PROFILE OF A TERRORIST. THE FOLLOWING SECTION EXAMINES THE THREAT POTENTIAL OF CONTEMPORARY TERRORISM, WITH RESPECT TO HIGH TECHNOLOGY TERRORISM (E.G., TERRORISM INVOLVING A NUCLEAR THREAT) AND SURROGATE WAR, TERRORISM AS A MILITARY WEAPON, AND NUCLEAR WEAPON SITES AS TARGETS FOR TERRORISTS. THE NEXT SECTION DEALS WITH THE RESPONSE OF THREATENED SOCIETIES TO TERRORISM AND DISCUSSES TOTALITARIAN TERRORISTS, CONTROLLING POLITICAL TERRORISM IN A FREE SOCIETY, TERRORISM AND THE INTELLIGENCE FUNCTION, THE UNITED STATES RESPONSE TO TERRORISM AGAINST INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION, THE POLICY DILEMMA INHERENT IN NEGOTIATING WITH TERRORISTS, AND HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS. THE FINAL SECTION OUTLINES EMERGING PATTERNS OF TERRORISM AND EXAMINES ALLIANCES BETWEEN TERRORIST GROUPS, THE GLOBAL NATURE OF CONTEMPORARY TERRORISM, THREATS TO THE NATION-STATE SOVEREIGNTY, THE GROWTH OF ANTITERROR TERROR, AND THE FUTILITY OF TERRORISM. AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY, NOTING 16 WORKS ON TERRORISM PUBLISHED BETWEEN 1972 AND 1977, IS PROVIDED. FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, SEE NCJ 32746, 32748, 39016, 41256, AND 48725-48740. (KBL)