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A fascinating and frightening look into terrorism on a global scale. Since the terrible events of 9/11, more attention than ever has been paid to the threats and challenges posed by contemporary terrorists. From suicide bombers to the latest cybertechnology, Leonard Weinberg’s readable and objective introduction explains who the terrorists are, where they came from, what motivates them and what, if anything, can be done to stop them. It provides a fascinating insight into such mythical figures as Carlos the Jackal and Osama bin Laden, while also offering a full account of how terrorist ‘cells’ operate and what they might do in the future. With full resources, including a chronology and list of further reading on the subject, anyone interested in matters of public security and international crises will find this essential reading.
This book presents a critical reflection on the major armed conflicts that occurred during the 1990s and the first decade of the twenty-first century. Conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo, Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria all involved the use of terrorism by one or more groups. Looking to the future, the book asks what this means for violent conflicts yet to come? Using a variety of case studies, the authors provide a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the role played by terrorism as a stand-alone tactic as well as one used to ignite broad-scale conflict. They also pose the question on what occasions does terrorism tend to occur as an armed conflict begins to subside, and when, in other words, is it a trailing indicator?
This book examines the relationships between democratic government and political terrorism. Since the 9/11 attacks, the United States and many of its allies have declared a ‘war on terrorism’. This struggle has been inspired in part by the belief is that by promoting democracy they will also bring an end to terrorism. Where people enjoy the blessings of liberty, they will naturally find peaceful outlets for the expression of their political views, it has been widely held. Terrorism, on the other hand, is seen largely as a consequence of repression. Where citizens cannot choose rulers freely and where dissenting voices are silenced by the authorities, terrorism and other types of violence...
Arguing that the principles of democracy must not be seen as a hindrance but should rather be considered as essential components of a counter-terrorist strategy, this volume assesses the elements of a new response to terrorism, such as the role of the legal framework, human rights, democracy and civil society.
This book is the definitive guide to the topical issue of the relationship between political parties that embrace the democratic process and terrorist groups which eschew the legal and procedural strictures of democracy. The fully revised edition continues to provide the most detailed theoretical and empirical analysis of this controversial issue, highlighting the fluid nature of boundaries between terrorist organisation and legitimate political party. Drawing on a vast array of data, the authors examine a large number of international case studies from Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Peru, Argentina, Japan and Northern Ireland. By incorporating substantial new material on ETA, Hizbollah and Hamas, this book retains its position at the forefront of the worldwide political discussion on terrorism, and continues to be essential reading for all students, academics and readers with an interest in security studies, terrorism and political violence
The authors demonstrate that political parties and terrorism have much more in common than is ordinarily supposed and discuss the ways in which the two often become linked to one another. The book examines cases where political parties engage in the conventional electoral process while carrying out terrorist attacks, as well as highlighting the occasions when clandestine terrorist groups establish political wings in order to better convey their views to the public. Most people believe that party politics in general are at the heart of the democratic process and that democracies provide the means for the peaceful resolution of conflicts. However, Weinberg and Pedahzur not only evidence the similarities between political parties and terrorist groups, but suggest that the transformation of the latter into peaceful political parties represents one way in which campaigns of terrorist violence may be brought to an end.
The end of the cold war and the fall of the Soviet empire have had major consequences for Italian politics. Leonard Weinberg explores some of those consequences, focusing on the transformation of the Italian Communist party from a Leninist to a democratic party. He also discusses the relationship between the end of communism and the unfolding of the entire Italian system.The Transformation of Italian Communism has two objectives. First, it calls the reader's attention to the role of international developments, an important but largely overlooked area involved in the study of European party politics. Traditional texts in this area emphasize domestic factors, but Weinberg focuses on the influe...
"Between the late 1960s and the early 1980s Italy suffered one of the most severe waves of domestic political terrorism experienced by any Western democracy. During those years, Italian terrorists committed more than 12,000 acts of political violence. The 1978 assassination of former prime minister Aldo Moro and the 1980 bombing of the railroad station in Bologna, in particular, attracted world-wide publicity. Aside from its magnitude, Italian terrorism has been distinguished from that in other Western democracies by the fact that very little violence can be traced to the grievances of ethnic or religious minorities and by the prominent role of right-wing bands. This book relates the formati...
This book considers not the beginning or origins of terrorism but how groups that use terrorism end, the book provides a unique empirically informed perspective on the end of terrorism that is a valuable addition to the currently available in the literature on the subject.
What is the relationship between the political parties that embrace the democratic process and terrorist groups, which eschew the legal and procedural strictures of democracy?This acclaimed volume provides a detailed theoretical and empirical analysis of this controversial issue. Drawing on a vast array of data, the authors examine a large number of international case studies from Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Peru, Argentina, Japan and Northern Ireland. This comprehensive book is the definitive account of this extremely important subject.