Suchergebnisse

Examines increased threat of domestic and international terrorist acts and need for defensive and offensive countermeasures, particularly by the US. Argues for new mechanisms of cooperation both nationally and internationally between intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

This article examines the history and the development of terrorism as a research subject for social sciences. It gives an impression of how the subject's theoretical remit has changed over the last decades - explicitly taking into account the characteristics of a modern and global world and their impact on current understandings of terrorism. Terrorism is a minor object for the social sciences; it was even long considered "illegitimate" and neglected by researchers. There are several explanations for this, which I think my long experience in research authorizes me to evoke here. Adapted from the source document.

Argues that the perception of terrorism as good or evil depends on particular circumstances & entails a normative judgment; examples of historical & more recent terrorist activities are offered. The heterogeneous nature of contemporary terrorist groups is described, along with their relationships with nation states. The particular relevance of religion & geography to terrorist activities, goals, & recruitment is discussed. A distinction is made between stationary & nonstationary terrorist groups, & the asymmetric nature of terrorist war in the 21st century is described. The terrorist attacks by al Qaeda on 11 Sept 2001 against the US are cited as manifestations of this asymmetry; economic & other impacts & implications are considered. 14 References. K. Hyatt Stewart