Synopses & Reviews
'No one understands terrorism better than Paul Wilkinson...if policy makers read this book they will understand the problems better. If terrorists read it they will understand themselves a lot better.' - Michael Clarke, King 's College London, University of London, UK
This acclaimed study examines both the new terror networks and those that have been around for decades. This new edition brings it up-to-date with the dramatic opening of the twenty-first century, with new chapters on the 9/11 attacks, the growth of international terrorism, the Al Qaeda network and the War on Terror.
This text provides us with some much needed criteria for distinguishing between terrorists and freedom fighters and an explanation of the uses of terrorism as a political, social, religious and criminal weapon. Wilkinson also links the use of terrorism to a wider repertoire of struggle. He proposes a variety of possible counter-measures and valuable principles carefully distilled from the recent past to help design a response that is compatible with democratic principles, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
This book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of terrorism studies, political science and international relations, as well as for policy makers and journalists.
Synopsis
This new, revised and updated edition of Prof. Wilkinson's acclaimed Terrorism Versus Democracy examines the problem of liberal democratic response. It draws some key lessons from the recent experience of democracies, and in particular from the response of the US, and UK and the international community to the horrific events of 9/11.
New chapters attempts a candid interim balance sheet on the success and failures of the War on Terrorism and highlights major dangers which were emphasized in the first edition, such as over-reaction, over-reliance on the use of military force in an effort to suppress terrorism, and the adoption of measures which involve major curtailments of democracy, human rights and the rule of law which could undermine the very democracy one is trying to defend. The author argues that prior to 9/11 the general international response to terrorism was one of inconsistency, confusion and under-reaction. However, at the other extreme, resort to full-scale war in the name of combating terrorism risks the sacrifice of far greater numbers of innocent lives than have ever been killed in non-state terrorist attacks. All these questions and many others are examined in Terrorism Versus Democracy,