NCJ Number
225010
Date Published
2001
Length
304 pages
Annotation
This reference guide offers a balanced examination of the complex political and social issues surrounding the phenomenon of global terrorism.
Abstract
The proliferation and availability of sophisticated weapons have made the issue of terrorism more urgent than ever. Terrorist groups no longer rely solely on firepower to make their message heard. The use of bioterrorism expands the range of victims affected. Cyberterrorists are interested in destroying the electronic infrastructure of their enemies. Divided into 3 main parts, this book is offered as a comprehensive reference guide providing first, an overview of the topic, ‘global terrorism’ and followed with a guide to future research on the issue. Issues discussed on the phenomenon of global terrorism include: (1) an extensive historical overview of terrorism and related issues; (2) survey of terrorism today, including the most recent attack on the World Trade Center; (3) terrorism-related laws, legal issues, and court cases; (4) chronological survey of major terrorist attacks, trials, and other relevant events; (5) brief biographies of leaders of terrorist groups, and academic and counterterrorism experts; (6) glossary of terms and acronyms; (7) guide to further research on terrorism; (8) an extensive annotated bibliography; (9) list of organizations and agencies providing helpful resources on terrorism; (10) graphs and charts; and (11) appendixes and index. If the United States and other democratic nations are to bring the threat of global terrorism under control, they will need to create a new model that, while borrowing appropriately from military and law enforcement approaches, also includes diplomacy and better understanding of other cultures. In bringing these tools to bear on terrorism it is necessary, not only to understand their motivations and methods, but also the relationship between terrorism and other forms of violence and political change. Appendixes A-D and index