Understanding Terrorism

Understanding Terrorism Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues

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


SAGE Publications, Inc
FormatPublished DateISBNPrice
Contents
 
Part I: Terrorism: A Conceptual Review
 
Chapter 1: Terrorism: First Impressions
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 2: The Nature of the Beast: Defining Terrorism
Understanding Extremism: The Foundation of Terrorism

 
Defining Terrorism: An Ongoing Debate

 
A Definitional Problem: Perspectives on Terrorism

 
The Political Violence Matrix

 
 
Chapter 3: Beginnings: The Causes of Terrorism
Political Violence as the Fruit of Injustice

 
Political Violence as Strategic Choice

 
Moral Justifications for Political Violence

 
Moral Convictions of Terrorists

 
 
Part II: The Terrorists
 
Chapter 4: Terror From Above: Terrorism by the State
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 5: Terror From Below: Terrorism by Dissidents
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 6: Violence in the Name of the Faith: Religious Terrorism
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 7: Violent Ideologies: Terrorism From the Left and Right
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 8: Terrorist Spillovers: International Terrorism
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 9: Emerging Terrorist Environments: Gender-Selective Political Violence and Criminal Dissident 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

 
 
Part III: The Terrorist Trade and Counterterrorism
 
Chapter 10: Tools of the Trade: Tactics and Targets of Terrorists
The Purpose: Terrorist Objectives

 
The Means: Terrorist Methods

 
The Focus: Terrorist Targets

 
The Outcome: Is Terrorism Effective?

 
 
Chapter 11: The Information Battleground: Terrorist Violence and the Role of the Media
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 12: The American Case: Terrorism in the United States
An Introduction to the American Case

 
Left-Wing Terrorism in the United States

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

 
Background to Terrorism: Rightist Activism and Ideological Extremism in America

 
Right-Wing Terrorism in the United States

 
International Terrorism in the United States

 
 
Part IV: Securing the Homeland
 
Chapter 13: Counterterrorism: The Options
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 14: A New Era: Homeland Security
Homeland Security in Perspective

 
The American Case: Homeland Security in the United States

 
Civil Liberties and Securing the Homeland

 
 
Chapter 15: What Next? The Future of Terrorism
An Overview of Near-Term Projections

 
The Future of Terrorism: New Threats

 
Controlling Terrorism: New Challenges

 
Threats to the Homeland: Prospects for Terrorism in the United States

 
Independent Customer Reviews

“The Student Study Site looks like a great resource for students. The amount of detail in the text is great.…The writing style is clear and concise. All of the material is presented in a manner that is conducive to learning.”

Matthew Costello
Arkansas State University

“This is the type of text you want to keep and refer to it for information of other topics.  It is a complete text that any student can learn from”

Greg Allen
Bellevue University

“The length and writing style is appropriate for our student body, is interactive and certain to maintain student attention, and is conceptual.…This book is excellent.”

Shawn L. Schwaner, Ph.D.
Miami Dade College

“[Understand Terrorism] is very easy for students to grasp the concepts of what they are reading, the timeline is a phenomenal resource for students in tracking terrorist activity, and the explanations of different terrorist acts are a wonderful tool to enhance student engagement and discussion.”

Ronda M. Blevins
Roane State Community College

An exceptionally comprehensive resource. We are seeing an increasing number of students wishing to research the topic of terrorism for their final year dissertations, this title will be extremely useful.

Ms Nyssa Alice Ebert
Law , Worcester College of Technology
October 8, 2016
Contributors: 

C. Augustus (Gus) Martin

Clarence Augustus “Gus” Martin is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Criminal Justice Administration at California State University, Dominguez Hills, where he teaches courses on criminal law, terrorism and extremism, and the criminal justice system. He served as the founding Chair of the department and as the founding Director of the School of Public Service and Justice. He also served as Associate Vice President for Human Resources Management, Acting Associate Dean of the College of Business Administration and Public Policy, Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs, and Chair of the Department of Public Administration. He began his academic career as a member of the faculty of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh, where he was an Administration of Justice professor. His current research and professional interests are terrorism and extremism, homeland security, and the administration of justice.

Dr. Martin is author of several books on the subjects of terrorism and homeland security, including Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues (SAGE Publications, 2025); Terrorism and WMDs: Awareness and Response, Third Edition (with John Pichtel, CRC Press, 2025); Understanding Homeland Security (SAGE Publications, 2024); The Handbook of Homeland Security (with Scott Romaniuk and Martin Scott Catino; Routledge, 2023); Essentials of Terrorism: Concepts and Controversies (SAGE Publications, 2022); Terrorism: An International Perspective (with Fynnwin Prager; SAGE Publications, 2019); The SAGE Encyclopedia of Terrorism, Second Edition (SAGE Publications, 2011); Terrorism and Homeland Security (SAGE, 2011); and The New Era of Terrorism: Selected Readings (SAGE Publications, 2004). He is also author of Juvenile Justice: Process and Systems (SAGE Publications, 2005).

Prior to joining academia, Dr. Martin served as Managing Attorney for the Fair Housing Partnership of Greater Pittsburgh, where he was also director of a program created under a federal consent decree to desegregate public and assisted housing. He was also Special Counsel to the Attorney General of the U.S. Virgin Islands on the island of St. Thomas. As Special Counsel, he occupied a personal and confidential position in the central office of the Department of Justice; sat as hearing officer for disciplinary hearings and departmental grievances; served as chair of the Drug Policy Committee; served as liaison to the intergovernmental Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee as well as to the Narcotics Strike Force; and provided daily legal and policy advice to the Attorney General. Prior to serving as Special Counsel, he was a “floor” Legislative Assistant to Congressman Charles B. Rangel of New York. As Legislative Assistant, he researched, evaluated and drafted legislation in areas of foreign policy, foreign aid, human rights, housing, education, social services, and poverty; he also drafted House floor statements, Congressional Record inserts, press releases, and news articles; and he composed speeches, briefing materials, and legislative correspondence.

Dr. Martin received his A.B. degree from Harvard College, J.D. from Duquesne University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, and Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.