Description
Book SynopsisThe post-9/11 War on Terror has spectacularly failed and this book argues that we now need a radically new approach to dealing with international terrorism. Recent policies have ignored the lessons of the past.Terrorist : How to Respond seeks to remedy this lack of vision by looking at the long history of terrorism and assessing why such violence emerges, how it is sustained, and - most crucially of all - how and why it ends. Written by an historian who has long studied Irish terrorism and politics, this book argues that we cannot adequately respond to the practical challenge of terrorist violence around the world unless we are more honest about the precise nature of the phenomenon, and about explaining its true and complex causes. Drawing on first-hand research into terrorist organizations, Richard English offers an authoritative and accessible analysis of arguably the most urgent political problem of the twenty-first century - and how we can successfully
Trade ReviewIf you want to read one book which explains the phenomenon of terrorism, gives you a good historical grasp of the subject while also providing a dispassionate roadmap to guide you through the term's complex meanderings and its many intellectual cul-de-sacs, then this is the book for you. It is outstanding: short and beautifully written, it manages also to be thoroughly on top of its subject. * Conor Gearty, Irish Times *
The clearest thinking on this scourge to have come along in many years. * John Arquilla, Foreign Policy *
The best guide to this subject. * Simon Jenkins, London Evening Standard *
This is a very fine book. It is elegant and persuasively argued from a man who really does know what he is talking about. The long view of Richard English is vital in an age of the knee-jerk. * Fergal Keane, BBC Special Correspondent *
A sober corrective to some dangerous recent misconceptions. * Prospect *
This book strikingly presents questions to scholars, practitioners, and society as a whole as to what the exact meaning of terrorism should be. More important, it presents an argument for a new approach to combating and understanding terrorism ... [P]assionate and persuasive. * International Social Science Review *
Excellent ... a highly accessible, incisive and erudite introduction to the nature, morality, causes and responses to contemporary terrorism rooted in a thorough engagement with history ... a fresh and stimulating perspective on the perennial issues of this perplexing form of contemporary political violence. * Richard Jackson, Kantian Review *
Thoughtful, informed meditation on the state of terrorism research. * Lawrence Freedman, Foreign Affairs *
English negotiates a sophisticated path through the questions of definition and explanation that have long dominated this field ... [The book] retains a credibility and persuasiveness lacked by many of its competitors [and] advances our understanding of terrorism, its costs and its consequences considerably. * International Affairs *
A useful and accessible text for scholars and policymakers alike ... English's book brings much needed attention to the state and the central role it plays in sustaining and ending terrorism ... [it] explores both the analytical and practical problems associated with terrorism. * Terrorism and Political Violence *
A thought-provoking primer for politicians seeking something to stimulate them. * The American Conservative *
Provocative ... controversial. * Publishers Weekly *
Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. What is Terrorism? ; 2. Why do People Resort to Terror? ; 3. What can we Learn from Terrorism Past? ; 4. How Should We Respond? ; Endnotes ; Bibliography ; Index
