Terrorism: How to Respond

A really well thought through book. The author opens by looking for a definition of terrorism or a terrorist whilst acknowledging the potential problems with this, most terrorists don't think of themselves as such. The IRA for example saw themselves as freedom fighters trying to shake off a violent foreign occupation. Can states be terrorists? Is targeting political leaders, police and security forces always terrorism?The second part explores a history of terrorism in the UK basically focussing on Northern Ireland and the troubles there. The author believes it is no coincidence that the violence erupted at the time it did and also that it began to fade away when it did too. The goals of a terrorist here are essentially to make your opponent calculate that the cost of maintaining their present course is much greater than the cost of giving in. Terrorism is often thought of as being committed by small groups of non state actors who target the innocent for political gain. The political aspect is what separates them from an organisation like the Mafia who largely seek financial gain. This would seem though to rule out Hamas as a terrorist organisation as they are a political party also. The author spends most of the history part focussing on the IRA rather than Islamic terrorism for history lessons. The author does not believe that religion alone drives terrorism, but you need groups of usually young, alienated people who feel they cannot achieve their aims through peaceful political processes. The major leaders of the world religions denounce violence and war so it's far too simplistic to blame religion the book feels.Terrorists are shown to often hope for an over the top retaliatory response from the state in order to further fan the flames and provoke division. Terrorism is largely shown to be ineffective in achieving internal political change, though it can have an effect on foreign policy as was the case in Lebanon in the 1980s.

The author certainly has a very good 'take' on terrorism. The book gives a very important perspective of the causes of terrorism and uses Northern Ireland as a good example. The confusion bit involves not the author but the book itself: the page numbers jump from 82 back to 35. Page 83 can be found after the second page 82. There is a list of plates in the front of the book but alas no pictures in the book. I would have enjoyed the pictures for the sake of nostalgia and wonder if the content has been mixed up during construction of the book. It is a pity but I shall live in hope of finding a correctly assembled copy eventually.

Stunning!!If you want to understand the phenomenon of terrorism without spending hundreds of hours studying huge and obscure academic books then this is your chance. Richard English has achieved with mastery to encompass different aspects of the phenomenon such as the definitional issue, the reasons make people resort to terror, the lessons “learnt” from the past and how we should respond in 140 pages. The book abounds with examples from the past that make quite apparent that unfortunately lessons are not always learnt. The writing style is academic but very simple and easy to read even for people without any background and knowledge in the field. Strongly recommended.

Had a quest lecture from the author himself. Very interesting and friendly man! I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in terrorism and its consequences.

Great informative book

Very interesting and well written. A really good read. Particularly interesting are the points Richard English identified where we can learn from the experience in Northern Ireland. Quite a small book but it has a lot to say.

Okay

Richard English`s Book is a great work on the terrorism and counterterrorism subject.It is a reference work for students and academics who work on the area.Highly recommended!