Comparative Terrorism & Counterterrorism

CRIM5720 Comparative Terrorism & Counterterrorism

Points Possible: 250
The major written assignment for this course is a 6,000-word (minimum) research paper.
Please follow these instructions for your paper.
1. Choose two (2) terrorist groups from the following list: *
Action Direct
Al-Fatah
ETA
FARC
Italian Red Brigades
Japanese Red Army
KKK
LTTE (Tamil Tigers)
Naxalites (CPI-M)
PFLP
PIRA
PKK/Kongra-Gel
Red Army Faction
Sendero Luminoso
Sovereign Citizens
ULFA
Ulster Volunteer Force
Weather Underground
Abu Sayyaf Group
Al-Nusra Front
Al-Shabaab
Ansaru
AQAP
AQIM
Boko Haram
Caucasus Emirate
Hamas
Hezbollah
Hizbul Mujahideen
Jemaah Islamiyah
Kahane Chai
LEHI
LeT
Taliban
Tehriki-Taliban Pakistan
*Note: For brief descriptions of these and other terrorist groups, please see the U.S. State
Department’s 2020 Country Reports on Terrorism, specifically “Chapter 5: Foreign Terrorist
Organizations” (p. 246-311). Online at: https://www.state.gov/reports/country-reports-onterrorism-2020/. And if there is a group of interest to you that is not on this list, please consult the
instructor.
2. Read books, scholarly journal articles, reports and other resources about the
groups you have chosen (see the Resources folder for some useful materials, but do
not limit yourself to those) and write your own summary of the groups. A small portion of
your reference sources for your paper can be online materials, but a majority of your
source materials must be academic and/or official government publications.
3. In the first part of your paper, introduce the groups and provide specific details
about the following aspects:
– History of each group, including the motivating ideology and strategic objectives they
want (or wanted) to achieve, and why
– Key leadership and their targeting and weapons choices
– Financial support and recruiting activities
– Political, social, and economic enablers of each group’s operating environment
– Peer competitors (if any)
– Vulnerabilities that were (or should be) exploited in a counterterrorism strategy
This section of the paper should conclude with a detailed assessment of key successes
(if any) and failures of each group. Explain whether (*and why*) the groups failed to
achieve their strategic objectives through the use of terrorism.
4. In the second part of your paper, compare the key attributes of the groups and their
operating contexts, particularly as these relate to their relative successes and/or failures
described in the first part of the paper. Compare what worked, what didn’t, and why
(from both a terrorism and a counterterrorism perspective if possible). Finally, provide a
comparative assessment of which group is – or was – stronger than the other (e.g., has
overcome challenges, achieved more strategic success), and why.
5. In the conclusion of your paper, provide a concluding summary of what lessons
counterterrorism professionals should learn from studying these terrorist groups in
greater detail.
Approval for your paper topic should be requested no later than Sunday of Week 5
(February 20). Research paper outlines and drafts will be accepted for review and
feedback will be provided until the end of Week 10.
Resources
To assist you with this assignment, a large collection of case studies is available to you in
the Resources folder of this Blackboard course website. These are listed at the end of this
document. A “Terrorism Studies Custom Google Search” has also been developed, and
the link to this is provided in the Start Here folder of the course website. You will also want
to use scholarly journal articles as references for your paper, including from Perspectives
on Terrorism (https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/perspectives-on-terrorism), the CTC
Sentinel (https://ctc.usma.edu/ctc-sentinel/), and others. Here are some other resources
that will be helpful in finding quality resources or your paper:
– Judith Tinnes, “The Art of Searching: How to Find Terrorism Literature in the Digital
Age,” Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol. 7, No. 4 (2013). Online at: http://bit.ly/2PIBJj0
– Joshua Sinai, “Top 150 Books on Terrorism and Counterterrorism” Perspectives on
Terrorism, Vol. 6, No. 2 (2012). Online at: http://bit.ly/2Mir3Wi
– Judith Tinnes, “Bibliography: Democracy and Terrorism,” Perspectives on Terrorism,
Vol. 14, No. 5 (2020). Online at: https://bit.ly/3fWci94
– Judith Tinnes, “100 Core and Periphery Journals for Terrorism Research”.
Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol. 7, No. 2 (2013). Online at: https://bit.ly/2JwqnOH
– Other Bibliographies: https://archive.org/details/terrorism-research-bibliographies/
– Open source (free access) journals on terrorism and counterterrorism:
http://www.ictaconline.com/?page_id=124
– U.S. State Department’s 2020 Country Reports on Terrorism.
https://www.state.gov/reports/country-reports-on-terrorism-2020/.
Databases for research on terrorism:
– START Global Terrorism Database: http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/
– CISAC Mapping Militant Organizations:
https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/mappingmilitants/profiles
– START BAAD Database on Terrorist Groups (Big, Allied and Dangerous):
http://www.start.umd.edu/baad/database
– Neil Bowie, “A New Inventory of 30 Terrorism Databases and Data Sets,”
Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol. 14, No. 1 (2020). Online at: https://bit.ly/37ow4qa
–
Finally, there are a variety of high-quality articles, reports, book chapters etc. listed in the
weekly required and recommended reading assignments throughout this course
syllabus. Some of them may be of particular use to you, depending on the topic you
choose for your paper. And be sure that whatever articles, reports, books, etc. you use
as resources for your paper: Follow the footnotes/endnotes/bibliography in those
resources, as they will lead you to other quality resources that you can also read and
cite in your paper.
REMEMBER: Your final research paper is due no later than 11:59pm Sunday of
Week 12 (April 17, 2022). As noted in the syllabus, assignments that are submitted late
receive a grade deduction penalty, which gets worse the later the paper is submitted.
Grading: Your research paper will be awarded points regarding the following criteria:
Criteria Points possible
1. Quality (depth, breadth, comprehensiveness) of research &
analysis
75
2. Quality (depth, breadth, comprehensiveness) of comparative
analysis
75
3. Summary of takeaways for counterterrorism professionals 50
4. Quality of supporting research (e.g., accurate citation references,
number of sources cited, quality of sources cited)
25
5. Structural quality of paper (grammar, spelling, punctuation,
proofreading)
25
Maximum total points possible 250
CASE STUDIES OF TERRORISM AND COUNTERTERRORISM
Case studies of terrorist groups and events will be essential for research papers in this course.
The following case studies have been provided online via the course Blackboard website (see
the “Case Study Resources” folder).
Always remember to properly cite any of these items in your papers, as listed below. Do not
distribute any materials provided on the course website beyond this course, as most
are copyrighted. Those that are not in the public domain (e.g., available online) were
published in one or more of my edited volumes, for which I retain copyright.
ASIA
Abuza, Zachary. “Education and Radicalization: Jemaah Islamiyah Recruitment in Southesast Asia,” in
The Making of a Terrorist (Volume 1), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
Bowman, Robin L. “Moro Insurgents and the Peace Process in the Philippines,” in Countering
Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport,
CT: Praeger, 2007)
Byrom, Jonathan C. and James Walker. “Afghanistan’s Transformation to a Narco-Terrorist State: An
Economic Perspective,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 2),
edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007).
Dolnik, Adam. “Aum Shinrikyo’s Path to Innovation,” in Terrorist Innovations in Weapons of Mass Effect:
Preconditions, Causes and Predictive Behaviors, edited by Maria J. Rasmussen and Mohammed M.
Hafez (August 2010 Workshop Report). (Washington, DC: Defense Threat Reduction Agency).
Felter, Joseph. “Recruitment for Rebellion and Terrorism in the Philippines,” in The Making of a
Terrorist (Volume 1), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
Gunaratna, Rohan and Arabinda Acharya, “The Terrorist Training Camps of al Qaeda,” in The Making
of a Terrorist (Volume 2), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
Johnson, Thomas H. and M. Chris Mason, “Terrorism, Insurgency and Afghanistan,” in Countering
Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 2), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT:
Praeger, 2007).
Marks, Thomas A. “Combating Terrorism in Nepal,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st
Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007)
Marks, Thomas A. “State Response to Terrorism in Sri Lanka,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency
in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007)
Olcott, Martha Brill and Bakhtiyar Babajanov. “Teaching New Terrorist Recruits: A Review of
Training Manuals from the Uzbekistan Mujahideen,” in The Making of a Terrorist (Volume 2),
edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
Parachini, John V. “The Making of Aum Shinrikyo’s Chemical Weapons Program,” in The Making of a
Terrorist (Volume 2), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
Ramakrishna, Kumar. “Indoctrination Processes within Jemaah Islamiyah,” in The Making of a Terrorist
(Volume 2), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
Sahukar, Behram A. “India’s Response to Terrorism in Kashmir,” in Countering Terrorism and
Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger,
2007)
Sinai, Joshua. “Terrorism and Uzbekistan: The Threat and the Response,” in Countering Terrorism and
Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger,
2007)
Smith, James M. “Japan and Aum Shinrikyo,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st
Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007)
EUROPE & RUSSIA
Alonso, Rogelio. “ETA’s Assassination of Luis Carrero Blanco as a Case Study in Terrorist Innovation,”
in Terrorist Innovations in Weapons of Mass Effect: Preconditions, Causes and Predictive Behaviors,
edited by Maria J. Rasmussen and Mohammed M. Hafez (August 2010 Workshop Report).
(Washington, DC: Defense Threat Reduction Agency).
Alonso, Rogelio. “The Madrid Attacks on March 11: An Analysis of the Jihadist Threat in Spain and Main
Counterterrorist Measures,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3),
edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007).
Chenoweth, Erica. “Italy and the Red Brigades: The Success of Repentance Policy in
Counterterrorism,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited
by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007)
Dolnik, Adam. “The Seige of Beslan’s School No. 1,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st
Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007)
English, Richard. “The IRA’s Attempted Murder of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher,” in Terrorist
Innovations in Weapons of Mass Effect: Preconditions, Causes and Predictive Behaviors, edited by
Maria J. Rasmussen and Mohammed M. Hafez (August 2010 Workshop Report). (Washington, DC:
Defense Threat Reduction Agency).
Hewitt, Steve. “7/7 as a Terrorist Innovation,” in Terrorist Innovations in Weapons of Mass Effect:
Preconditions, Causes and Predictive Behaviors, edited by Maria J. Rasmussen and Mohammed M.
Hafez (August 2010 Workshop Report). (Washington, DC: Defense Threat Reduction Agency).
Jackson, Brian A. “Training for Urban Resistance: The Case of the Provisional Irish Republican Army,”
in The Making of a Terrorist (Volume 2), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
Kohlmann, Evan. “The Mujahideen of Bosnia: Origins, Training and Implications,” in The Making of a
Terrorist (Volume 2), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
Maley, Tom. “The London Terrorist Attacks of July 7, 2005,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency
in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007)
Norell, Magnus. “Intelligence Coordination and Counterterrorism: A European Perspective,” in
Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 1), edited by James J.F. Forest
(Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007).
Robbins, James S. “Insurgent Seizure of an Urban Area: Grozny, 1996,” in Countering Terrorism and
Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger,
2007)
Sherlock, Thomas. “The Wars in Chechnya and the Decay of Russian Democratization,” in Countering
Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport,
CT: Praeger, 2007)
Wright, Joanne. “Countering West Germany’s Red Army Faction: What Can We Learn?” in Countering
Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport,
CT: Praeger, 2007)
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
Anderson, Sean and Peter Spagnolo. “The Achille Lauro Hijacking,” in Countering Terrorism and
Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger,
2007)
Beitler, Ruth Margolies. “The Complex Relationship between Global Terrorism and U.S. Support for
Israel,” in The Making of a Terrorist(Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger,
2005).
Beitler, Ruth Margolies. “Yemen and the Attack on the USS Cole,” in Countering Terrorism and
Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger,
2007)
Brownfeld, Allan C. “Zionism and the Pursuit of West Bank Settlements,” in The Making of a Terrorist
(Volume 1), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
Cavatorta, Francesco. “The Role of Democratization in Reducing the Appeal of Extremist Groups in the
Middle East and North Africa,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume
2), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007).
Conway, Maura. “Terror TV? An Exploration of Hizbollah’s Al-Manar Television,” in Countering
Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 2), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT:
Praeger, 2007).
Fishman, Brian. “Fighting Fire with Fire: Destroying the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood,” in Countering
Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport,
CT: Praeger, 2007)
Forest, James J.F. Confronting the Terrorism of Boko Haram in Nigeria. JSOU Press, 2012. ** PDF
available on Blackboard course website.
Forest, James J.F. U.S. Military Deployments to Africa: Lessons from the Hunt for Joseph Kony and the
Lord’s Resistance Army. Tampa, FL: JSOU Press, 2014 ** PDF available on Blackboard course
website.
Gleis, Joshua L. “Israel’s Struggle Against Palestinian Terror Organizations,” in Countering Terrorism
and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger,
2007)
Hafez, Mohammed M. “Political Repression and Violent Rebellion in the Muslim World,” in The Making
of a Terrorist (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
Hegghgammer, Thomas and James Forest (editors): The Islamic State: A Special Issue of Perspectives
on Terrorism (2015), available online at:
http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/issue/view/53
Kennedy-Boudali, Lianne. “The Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership: America’s Commitment
to Africa,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 2), edited by James
J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007).
Khalil, Lydia. “Turkey and the PKK,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century
(Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007)
Lailari, Guermantes E. “The Information Operations War Between Israel and Hizballah during the
Summer of 2006,” in Influence Warfare, edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: 2009).
Levitt, Matthew A. “Hamas Social Welfare: In the Service of Terror,” in The Making of a Terrorist
(Volume 1), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
Meservey, Joshua James J.F. Forest and Graham Turbiville. Countering the al-Shabaab Insurgency in
Somalia: Lessons for U.S. Special Operations Forces. Tampa, FL: JSOU Press, 2014. ** PDF available
on Blackboard course website.
Pedahzur, Ami and Arie Perliger. “Coping with Terrorism: Lessons Learned from the Israeli
Intelligence Community,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 1),
edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007).
Ranstorp, Magnus. “The Hizballah Training Camps of Lebanon,” in The Making of a Terrorist (Volume
2), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
Schweitzer, Yoram. “Innovation in Terrorist Organizations: The Case of PFLP and its Offshoots,” in
Terrorist Innovations in Weapons of Mass Effect: Preconditions, Causes and Predictive Behaviors,
edited by Maria J. Rasmussen and Mohammed M. Hafez (August 2010 Workshop Report).
(Washington, DC: Defense Threat Reduction Agency).
Vadlamudi, Sundara. “The U.S. Embassy Bombings in Kenya and Tanzania,” in Countering Terrorism
and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger,
2007)
Wrona, Richard M. Jr., “Lebanon, Hizbollah, and the Patrons of Terrorism,” in Countering Terrorism
and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger,
2007)
Wrona, Richard M. Jr., “The ‘Beginning of a War’: The United States and the Hijacking of TWA Flight
847,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F.
Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007).
Zuhur, Sherifa. “State Power and the Progress of Militant and Moderate Islamism in Egypt,” in
Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest
(Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007)
LATIN AMERICA
Eccarius-Kelly, Vera. “Counterterrorism Policies and the Revolutionary Movement of Tupac Amaru:
The Unmasking of Peru’s National Security State,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the
21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007)
Ortiz, Roman D. “The Human Factor in Insurgency: Recruitment and Training in the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC),” in The Making of a Terrorist (Volume 2), edited by James J.F.
Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
Ortiz, Román D. and Nicolás Urrutia. “A Slow Road to Victory: Counterinsurgency and Strategic
Innovation in Colombia,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3),
edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007)
Palmer, David Scott. “Countering Terrorism in Latin America: The Case of Shining Path in Peru,” in
Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest
(Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007)
Stanski, Keith. “Terrorism, Gender and Ideology: A Case Study of Women Who Join the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC),” in The Making of a Terrorist (Volume 1), edited by James J.F.
Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005).
UNITED STATES
Ackerman, Gary A. and Sundara Vadlamudi. “The Case of Ramzi Youssef,” in Countering Terrorism and
Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger,
2007).
After Action Report for the Response to the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. City of Boston, 2014.
Available on Blackboard course website.
Aho, James. “Christian Fundamentalism and Militia Movements in the United States,” in The Making of
a Terrorist (Volume 1), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005)
Baracskay, Daniel. “The February 1993 Attack on the World Trade Center,” in Countering Terrorism
and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger,
2007)
Baracskay, Daniel. “The April 1995 Bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City,” in
Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest
(Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007)
Danis, Aaron D. “Al Qaeda’s Surveillance Offensive Against America, 2000-2003: Implications for U.S
Homeland Countersurveillance,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century
(Volume 1), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007).
Guilmartin, Eugenia K. “Rejection of Political Institutions by Right-Wing Extremists in the United
States,” in The Making of a Terrorist (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT:
Praeger, 2005).
Hamm, Mark. “Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing,” in Terrorist Innovations in
Weapons of Mass Effect: Preconditions, Causes and Predictive Behaviors, edited by Maria J.
Rasmussen and Mohammed M. Hafez (August 2010 Workshop Report). (Washington, DC:
Defense Threat Reduction Agency).
Moghadam, Assaf. “Terrorist Innovation: The Case of 9/11,” in Terrorist Innovations in Weapons of Mass
Effect: Preconditions, Causes and Predictive Behaviors, edited by Maria J. Rasmussen and
Mohammed M. Hafez (August 2010 Workshop Report). (Washington, DC: Defense Threat
Reduction Agency).
Shibuya, Eric. “The Struggle with Violent Right-Wing Extremist Groups in the United States,” in
Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest
(Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007).
Wesley, Robert. “Capturing Khalid Sheik Mohammad,” in Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the
21st Century (Volume 3), edited by James J.F. Forest (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007).
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Please be sure to search through the archives of the main peer-reviewed scholarly
journals in the field of terrorism and counterterrorism for quality research. These include:
Perspectives on Terrorism: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/perspectives-on-terrorism
Terrorism and Political Violence: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ftpv20/current
Studies in Conflict and Terrorism: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uter20/current
Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rdac20/current
CTC Sentinel: https://ctc.usma.edu/ctc-sentinel/
Here are some compilations and guides for finding resources on terrorism and CT
studies:
– Judith Tinnes, “The Art of Searching: How to Find Terrorism Literature in the Digital
Age,” Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol. 7, No. 4 (2013). Online at: https://bit.ly/3lu7wkz
– Judith Tinnes, “Bibliography: Democracy and Terrorism,” Perspectives on Terrorism,
Vol. 14, No. 5 (2020). Online at: https://bit.ly/3fWci94
– Other Bibliographies: https://archive.org/details/terrorism-research-bibliographies/
– Joshua Sinai, “Top 150 Books on Terrorism and Counterterrorism” Perspectives on
Terrorism, Vol. 6, No. 2 (2012). Online at: https://bit.ly/33uf8xh
– Judith Tinnes, “100 Core and Periphery Journals for Terrorism Research”.
Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol. 7, No. 2 (2013). Online at: https://bit.ly/2JwqnOH
Here are some databases for research on terrorism:
– START Global Terrorism Database: http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/
– START BAAD Database on Terrorist Groups (Big, Allied and Dangerous):
http://www.start.umd.edu/baad/database
– Neil Bowie, “A New Inventory of 30 Terrorism Databases and Data Sets,”
Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol. 14, No. 1 (2020). Online at: https://bit.ly/37ow4qa
Several books are available in the UMass Lowell Library for you to use in preparing your
research papers.
Max Abrahms, Rules for Rebels: The Science of Victory in Militant History. London:
Oxford University Press, 2018. ISBN: 978-0198811558
Assaf Moghadam, Nexus of Global Jihad: Understanding Cooperation Among
Terrorist Actors. New York: Columbia University Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-
0231165372
Andrew Silke, ed. Routledge Handbook of Terrorism and Counterterrorism. New
York: Routledge, 2019. ISBN: 978-1138819085
Clint Watts, Messing with the Enemy. New York: Harper, 2018. ISBN: 978-
0062795984
Graeme Wood, Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State. New York:
Random House, 2016. ISBN: 978-0812988758
J.M. Berger, Extremism. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. ISBN: 978-0262535878
Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press, 2004. ISBN: 978-
0802141323
Gary LaFree, Laura Dugan and Erin Miller. Putting Terrorism in Context: Lessons
from the Global Terrorism Database. New York: Routledge, 2015. ISBN: 978-
1138824607
Brynjar Lia, Architect of Global Jihad: The Life of Al-Qaida Strategist Abu Musab alSuri. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0231700306Jacob
Shapio, The Terrorist’s Dilemma: Managing Violent Covert Organizations.
Princeton University Press, 2013.
James Forest, ed. Intersections of Crime and Terror. Routledge, 2013.
James J.F. Forest, ed. Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (3
volumes). Westport, CT: Praeger Security International, 2007.
Ed Moloney, Secret History of the IRA. W.W. Norton & Co., 2002.
Bruce Reidel, The Search for Al Qaeda. Brookings Institution, 2010. James J.F. Forest,
ed. The Making of a Terrorist: Recruitment, Training and Root Causes (3
volumes). Westport, CT: Praeger Security International, 2005.
Benjamin Friedman, Jim Harper and Chris Preble, eds. Terrorizing Ourselves: Why
U.S. Counterterrorism Policy is Failing and How to Fix it. Washington, DC:
CATO Institute, 2010.
Jeffrey Norwitz, ed. Armed Groups: Studies in National Security and,
Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency. Newport, RI: Naval War College, 2008.
James J.F. Forest, ed. Influence Warfare: How Terrorists and Governments Fight to
Shape Perceptions in a War of Ideas. Westport, CT: Praeger Security
International, 2009.
Mia Bloom, Bombshell: Women and Terrorism. University of Pennsylvania Press,
2011. ISBN: 978-0812243901
James J.F. Forest, ed. Homeland Security: Protecting America’s Targets (3
volumes). Westport, CT: Praeger Security International, 2006.
James Forest, Russell Howard and Joanne Moore, eds. Homeland Security and
Terrorism (2nd edition). McGraw-Hill, 2013.
Mia Bloom, Dying to Kill: The Allure of Suicide Terrorism. Columbia University Press,
2007. ISBN: 978-0231133210
James. J.F. Forest and Russell Howard (eds.) Weapons of Mass Destruction and
Terrorism (2nd Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012.
Russell D. Howard and Bruce Hoffman, Terrorism and Counterterrorism:
Understanding the New Security Environment (4th Edition). McGraw-Hill, 2011.
John Horgan, Walking Away from Terrorism: Accounts of Disengagement from
Radical and Extremist Movements. Routledge, 2009.
James. J.F. Forest, The Terrorism Lectures. Los Angeles, CA: Nortia Press, 2012.
James. J.F. Forest, Countering the Terrorism Threat of Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Tampa, FL: JSOU Press, 2012.
Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker, Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s
Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda. Times Books, 2011.
Finally, there are a variety of high-quality articles, reports, book chapters etc. listed
throughout this course syllabus. Some of them may be of particular use to you,
depending on the topic you choose for your paper. And be sure that whatever articles,
reports, books, etc. you use as resources for your paper: Follow the
footnotes/endnotes/bibliography in those resources, as they will lead you to other quality
resources that you can also read and cite in your paper.