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Understanding Terrorism
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Understanding Terrorism
Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues

Seventh Edition
  • Gus Martin - California State University, Dominguez Hills, USA

Other Titles in:
Terrorism | Terrorism

August 2020 | 592 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary exploration of domestic and international terrorism that helps students develop the knowledge and skills needed to critically assess the underlying causes of modern terrorist violence.
The Seventh Edition includes new or expanded discussions of critical topics in terrorism, such as the evolution of right-wing extremism in Western countries, as well as analysis of recent events and updated terrorist tactics, weapons, and methods.


Included with this title:

The password-protected Instructor Resource Site (formally known as Sage Edge)
offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides. Learn more.
 
About the Author
 
Acknowledgments
 
Introduction and Rationale
 
PART I. TERRORISM: A CONCEPTUAL REVIEW
 
CHAPTER 1. Terrorism: First Impressions
Opening Viewpoint: The Ideology of Al-Qa’ida

 
First Considerations

 
Conceptual Considerations: Understanding Political Violence

 
The Past as Prologue: Historical Perspectives on Terrorism

 
Terrorism and Criminal Skill: Three Cases From the Modern Era

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
CHAPTER 2. The Nature of the Beast: Defining Terrorism
Opening Viewpoint: Are “Hate Crimes” Acts of Terrorism?

 
Understanding Extremism: The Foundation of Terrorism

 
Defining Terrorism: An Ongoing Debate

 
A Definitional Problem: Perspectives on Terrorism

 
The Political Violence Matrix

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
CHAPTER 3. Beginnings: The Causes of Terrorism
Opening Viewpoint: The Case of Carlos

 
Political Violence as Strategic Choice

 
Political Violence as the Fruit of Injustice

 
Moral Justifications for Political Violence

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
PART II. TERRORIST ENVIRONMENTS AND TYPOLOGIES
 
CHAPTER 4. Terror From Above: Terrorism by the State
Opening Viewpoint: State Terrorism as Domestic and Foreign Policy

 
The State as Terrorist: A State Terrorism Paradigm

 
Violence Abroad: Terrorism as Foreign Policy

 
Violence at Home: Terrorism as Domestic Policy

 
The Problem of Accountability: Monitoring State Terrorism

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
CHAPTER 5. Terror From Below: Terrorism by Dissidents
Opening Viewpoint: The Tupamaros

 
The Rebel as Terrorist: A Dissident Terrorism Paradigm

 
Warring Against the State: Antistate Dissident Terrorism

 
Warring Against a People: Communal Terrorism

 
Operational Shifts: Dissidents and the New Terrorism

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
CHAPTER 6. Violence in the Name of the Faith: Religious Terrorism
Opening Viewpoint: The Journey of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

 
Primary and Secondary Motives: The Idiosyncratic Quality of Religious Terrorism

 
Historical Cases in Point: Fighting, Dying, and Killing in the Name of the Faith

 
State-Sponsored Religious Terrorism in the Modern Era

 
Dissident Religious Terrorism in the Modern Era

 
The Future of Religious Terrorism

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
CHAPTER 7. Violent Ideologies: Terrorism From the Left and Right
Opening Viewpoint: Racist Skinheads as a Supportive Environment

 
Reactionaries and Radicals: The Classical Ideological Continuum

 
Left-Wing Ideologies and Activism

 
Class Struggle and National Liberation: The Terrorist Left

 
Right-Wing Activism and Extremism

 
Race and Order: The Terrorist Right

 
Violent Ideologies in the New Era of Terrorism

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
CHAPTER 8. Terrorist Spillovers: International Terrorism
Opening Viewpoint: Terrorism in the Age of Globalization

 
Defining International Terrorism

 
Globalized Revolution: Reasons for International Terrorism

 
Globalized Solidarity: International Terrorist Networks

 
The International Dimension of the New Terrorism

 
Postscript: The “Stateless Revolutionaries”

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
CHAPTER 9. Emerging Terrorist Environments: Gender-Selective Political Violence and Criminal Dissident Terrorism
Opening Viewpoint: ISIS Gender-Selective Terrorism

 
Culture and Conflict: Gender-Selected Victims of Terrorist Violence

 
Protecting the Enterprise: Criminal Dissident Terrorism

 
A Global Problem: Regional Cases of Criminal Dissident Terrorism

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
PART III. THE TERRORIST TRADE AND COUNTERTERRORISM
 
CHAPTER 10. Tools of the Trade: Tactics and Targets of Terrorists
Opening Viewpoint: Actionable Intelligence—Israel and the Hunt for the Engineer

 
The Purpose: Terrorist Objectives

 
The Means: Terrorist Methods

 
The Focus: Terrorist Targets

 
The Outcome: Is Terrorism Effective?

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
CHAPTER 11. The Information Battleground: Terrorist Violence and the Role of the Media
Opening Viewpoint: Media-Oriented Terror and Lebanon’s Hezbollah

 
Two Perspectives: The Media and Governments

 
Understanding the Role of the Media

 
A New Battleground: The War for the Information High Ground

 
The Public’s Right to Know: Regulating the Media

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
CHAPTER 12. The American Case: Terrorism in the United States
Opening Viewpoint: Lynching—Vigilante Communal Terrorism in the United States

 
An Introduction to the American Case

 
Background to Terrorism: Left-Wing Activism and Ideological Extremism in America

 
Left-Wing Terrorism in the United States

 
Background to Terrorism: Right-Wing Activism and Ideological Extremism in America

 
Right-Wing Terrorism in the United States

 
International Terrorism in the United States

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
CHAPTER 13. Counterterrorism: The Options
Opening Viewpoint: The Death of Osama bin Laden

 
Responding to Terror: The Scope of Options

 
Warlike Operations: Counterterrorism and the Use of Force

 
Operations Other Than War: Repressive Options

 
Operations Other Than War: Conciliatory Options

 
Applying the Rule of Law: Legalistic Options

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
PART IV. SECURING THE HOMELAND
 
CHAPTER 14. A New Era: Homeland Security
Opening Viewpoint: International Collaboration on Surveillance and Data Mining

 
Homeland Security in Perspective

 
The American Case: Homeland Security in the United States

 
Civil Liberties and Securing the Homeland

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
CHAPTER 15. What Next? The Future of Terrorism
Opening Viewpoint: Carnivore and the Dawn of Internet Surveillance

 
An Overview of Near-Term Projections

 
The Future of Terrorism: Terrorist Environments in the 21st Century

 
The Future of Terrorism: New Threats

 
Controlling Terrorism: Ending Terrorist Campaigns and New Challenges

 
Final Considerations

 
Chapter Summary

 
A Final Thought on Reform and Revolution

 
Key Terms and Concepts

 
Prominent Persons and Organizations

 
Recommended Readings

 
 
Appendix A: Map References
 
Appendix B: Prominent Persons and Organizations
 
Glossary of Terms
 
Notes
 
Index

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site
edge.sagepub.com/martin7e

The open-access Student Study Site makes it easy for students to maximize their study time, anywhere, anytime. It offers flashcards that strengthen understanding of key terms and concepts, as well as learning objectives that reinforce the most important material.

For additional information, custom options, or to request a personalized walkthrough of these resources, please contact your sales representative.
Student Study Site
edge.sagepub.com/martin7e

The open-access Student Study Site makes it easy for students to maximize their study time, anywhere, anytime. It offers flashcards that strengthen understanding of key terms and concepts, as well as learning objectives that reinforce the most important material.

For additional information, custom options, or to request a personalized walkthrough of these resources, please contact your sales representative.

“The writing is clear, the content is accurately explained, and the tone of the book is engaging. The book features a wide array of pedagogical activities that will help students to learn the material. Moreover, the book does a good job of linking content to current events and contemporary issues related to terrorism and terrorists.”

Kevin Beaver
Florida State University

“Very well done and an excellent resource for students.”

Gary Maynard
Indiana University of Pennsylvania

“Very thorough, well thought out to benefit student knowledge and growth on the topic, and clear.”

Misti Kill
Columbia Southern University

“This book has a comprehensive understanding of terrorism and violence. It is very content-oriented.”

Mitsunori Misawa
University of Tennessee, Knoxville

I like this book because of its table of contents and undergraduate appropriateness. Many textbooks add too much filler information, and I value clarity and conciseness for my student's time. I also like the available Sage Resources for this book.

Professor Shawn A Kesling
Criminology and Criminal Justice, Indiana University-Southeast
January 2, 2023