Teaching & Learning Guide for: Sociology of Terrorism and Counterterrorism: A Social Science Understanding of Terrorist Threat
Authors: Tosini Domenico 
Published: November 2008

1. Introduction

Over the last decade, increased attention has been paid to terrorism, particularly to the new wave of terrorist groups, fundamentalist movements, and extremist organisations such as Al‐Qaeda. September 11 marked the beginning of a turbulent phase in which states face a new kind of threat made up of a complex network of insidious revolutionary and nationalist forces. Such transformations have given rise to an unprecedented number of publications. However, both political violence and terrorism remain sources of endless disputes and controversies because of their political implications. At the same time, in the scientific community, terrorism studies lack conceptual and methodological uniformity. In his article, Domenico Tosini synthesises and discusses some major findings from this research. Courses using such a review will be confronted with the four major topics that any analysis of terrorism, to be comprehensive, should take into account: the definition of terrorism; its history and classification; its explanations; and an assessment of the consequences of counterterrorism policies.

2. Literature recommendations

Bjørgo, Tore (ed.) 2005. Root Causes of Terrorism: Myths, Realities and Ways Forward. London, UK: Routledge.

In this book, based on the analysis of numerous case studies (e.g. Palestinian armed groups, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, right‐wing extremists, state terrorism and state‐sponsored terrorism), experts in political violence examine the preconditions for the emergence of different types of terrorist organisations and the main factors that sustain terrorist campaigns.

Cole, David 2003. Enemy Aliens: Double Standard and Constitutional Freedoms in the War on Terrorism. New York, NY: The New Press.

Thanks to its analysis and evaluation of the consequences of counter‐terrorism measures, David Cole's Enemy Aliens is one of the most rigorous discussions of how states (like the United States since 2001) often combat terrorism by adopting emergency powers (such as the special detention at Guantanamo Bay), which, in turn, risk undermining civil liberties.

della Porta, Donatella 1995. Social Movements, Political Violence, and the State. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Based on empirical research that compares the origins and development of left‐wing terrorism in Italy and Germany between the 1960s and the 1990s, della Porta offers a middle‐range theory of political violence that combines an analysis of the political opportunities and ideological frames exploited by armed groups, a profile of their organisational structures, and an investigation of the typical patterns underlying their recruitment processes.

Gambetta, Diego (ed.) 2006. Making Sense of Suicide Missions. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

In this book, a number of distinguished social scientists, while examining the use of suicide missions by political and religious groups (such as the Japanese Kamikaze, the Tamil Tigers, Palestinian organisations, and Al‐Qaeda), specify and discuss the most important methodological questions associated with definitions, data collection, and explanations concerning this form of political struggle.

Hoffman, Bruce 2006. Inside Terrorism. New York, NY: Colombia University Press.

The book introduces the most important issues of terrorism studies: the controversial problem of the definition of terrorism; a history of terrorism, from anti‐colonial struggles to international terrorism; an examination and explanation of the most recent waves of religious extremists and suicide terrorism; an analysis of the ways terrorist groups exploit old and new media such as the Internet; and, finally, an overview of the strategies, tactics, and organisational aspects of modern and contemporary terrorism.

Horgan, John 2005. The Psychology of Terrorism. London, UK: Routledge.

Horgan presents a critical analysis of our understanding of terrorist psychology; many shortcomings emerge, particularly the limitations of personality theories in attempting to explain militancy. Based on interviews with terrorists, the book considers the most relevant psychological and social factors underlying involvement and engagement in political violence, and the process of leaving terrorist organisations.

Kalyvas, Stathis 2006. The Logic of Violence in Civil War. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Scholars generally distinguish between terrorism and other forms of violence against civilians – tactics of guerrilla warfare or insurgency in civil wars, for example. However, this work makes a relevant contribution to terrorism studies. Kalyvas clarifies the rationality and micro‐processes of interactions during armed conflicts that account for indiscriminate and selective uses of violence against civilian populations by political actors.

Kushner, Harvey W. 2003. Encyclopedia of Terrorism. London, UK: Sage.

One of the most accurate and exhaustive dictionaries focusing on terrorism, with more than 300 entries concerning terrorist groups, key events, people, terms, and statistics, as well as biographical, historical, and geographical information. Free access is available at the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT) (http://www.terrorisminfo.mipt.org/eBooks.asp).

Laqueur, Walter 2002. A History of Terrorism. London, UK: Transaction Publishers.

Along with Laqueur's Guerrilla Warfare: A Historical and Critical Study (London: Transaction Publishers, 1998), this constitutes a pioneering history of armed organisations, from nineteenth century Europe, to the anarchists of the 1880s and 1890s, to the left‐wing clashes during the 20th century, and up to the most recent terrorist groups.

Pape, Robert A. 2005. Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism. New York, NY: Random House.

Over the last decade, suicide terrorism has become an alarming political threat and a crucial challenge for social scientists. In his work, which compares a number of organisations responsible for suicide attacks, Pape rejects the explanation of suicide terrorism based on religious fundamentalism. He argues for a correlation between the use of this tactic and specific kinds of groups engaged in separatist campaigns or in struggles for liberation from foreign occupiers.

Ranstorp, Magnus (ed.) 2007. Mapping Terrorism Research: State of the Art, Gaps and Future Directions. London, UK: Routledge.

In this book, distinguished scholars of terrorism studies discuss state‐of‐the‐art field research. In exploring new trends in this area – the most important questions about the explanation of recent terrorist organisations such as Al‐Qaeda, and about counterterrorism – these essays shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of our current knowledge of political violence.

Reich, Walter (ed.) 1998. Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Center Press.

This is another seminal work on terrorism, bringing together some of the most well known experts in political violence. The variety of approaches used in the explanations of terrorist organisations and in the analysis of counterterrorism paves the way for a real interdisciplinary setting, which is absolutely crucial once the multi‐faceted nature of terrorism is clear.

Sageman, Marc 2004. Understanding Terror Networks. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Based on the analysis of biographical data for nearly 200 members of global Islamist extremism (of which Al‐Qaeda is a part), Sageman accounts for the origins and developments of this movement and specifies the crucial role played by social networks in the recruitment of individuals as Islamist militants.

Wilkinson, Paul 2006. Terrorism versus Democracy: The Liberal State Response. London, UK: Routledge.

Wilkinson examines major trends in international terrorism and liberal democratic responses. On the one hand, the book introduces the specificity of terrorism and offers a classification and explanation of the most important types of armed groups. On the other, in approaching how states deal with terrorist threats, this work discusses forms of counterterrorism, by taking into account their impact on the rule of law and on the protection of civil liberties.

3. Online materials

Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Interna (AISI)

(Agency for Internal Information and Security)

(http://www.aisi.gov.it)

The Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Interna (AISI) is the branch of Italian Intelligence tasked with collecting and analysing information about any criminal and terrorist threat to security. Among other activities, the AISI distributes its own periodical, Gnosis, online, where a chronology of international as well as domestic terrorist attacks since 2004 (currently updated through 2007) is available.

Counterterrorism Blog

(http://counterterrorismblog.org)

The Counterterrorism Blog is a multi‐expert blog devoted to providing a one‐stop gateway to the counterterrorism community. It offers, among other things, overnight and breaking news, with real time commentary by experts; reports on terrorist organisations; discussions of long‐term trends in counterterrorism; and summaries of and discussions about US and international law.

Center for Constitutional Rights

(CCR)

(http://ccrjustice.org)

Founded in 1966 by attorneys who represented civil rights organisations, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) is a non‐profit legal and educational organisation dedicated to protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It also offers information about important issues related to counterterrorism (e.g., the prolonged battle in defence of civil liberties associated with the special detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba).

Global Terrorism Database
(GTD)

(http://www.start.umd.edu/data/gtd)

The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) is an open‐source database on terrorist incidents around the world since 1970 (currently updated through 2004). It includes systematic data on international as well as domestic terrorist attacks. For each GTD incident, information is available on the date and location of the attack, the weapons used and nature of the target, the number of casualties, and (when possible) the identity of the perpetrator. Another important database, the Terrorism Knowledge Base (TKB) at the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT) (http://www.mipt.org/TKB.asp), has recently ceased operations and elements of the system have been merged with the GTD. Information on terrorist groups is now available at the Terrorist Organization Profiles (http://www.start.umd.edu/data/tops).

Human Security Report Project

(HSRP)

(http://www.hsrgroup.org)

The HSRP conducts research on global and regional trends in political violence, exploring their causes and consequences, and then making this research accessible to the policy and research communities, the media, educators, and the interested public. The HSRP's publications include the Human Security Report, the Human Security Brief series, and the Human Security Gateway. The recent Human Security Brief 2007, online, makes a relevant contribution in discussing the methodological issues associated with collecting data on terrorism and offers a comprehensive overview of terrorist incidents in the last decade.

Middle East Media Research Institute

(MEMRI)

(http://www.memri.org)

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media with respect to a variety of topics including terrorism. MEMRI provides translations of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish media, as well as analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious tendencies in the Middle East. A new section, the MEMRI's Islamist Websites Monitor Project, was launched in 2006 as part of the Jihad & Terrorism Studies project. Its aim is to keep Western audiences informed about the phenomenon of jihadist sites on the Internet, which are used by terrorist groups and their sympathisers to spread their extremist messages, to raise funds, and to recruit activists.

Uppsala Conflict Data Project

(UCDP)

(http://www.pcr.uu.se/research/UCDP)

The Uppsala Conflict Data Project (UCDP) collects data on armed conflicts around the world. A global conflict database is now available online. Data are useful for systematic studies of conflict origins, dynamics, and resolution.

Worldwide Incidents Tracking System
(WITS)

(http://wits.nctc.gov)

The Worldwide Incidents Tracking System (WITS) is the National Counterterrorism Center’s (NCTC) database of terrorist incidents. NCTC serves as the primary organisation in the United States government for integrating and analysing all intelligence pertaining to terrorism and, at the same time, as the central and shared knowledge bank on terrorism information. Based on WITS, the NCTC provides an annual report and statistical information about terrorist incidents.

Additional Online Resources

Scores of additional organisations and centres (too many to list) conduct and disseminate research on issues related to armed conflicts, terrorism, terrorist groups, security, and counterterrorism. What follows is a list of some other key organisations and centres, with links to their websites:

Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)

(http://www.aspi.org.au)

Centre for Asymmetric Threat Studies (CATS)

(http://www.fhs.se/en/Research/Centers‐and‐Research‐Programmes/CATS)

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

(http://www.csis.org)

Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV)

(http://www.st‐andrews.ac.uk/~wwwir/research/cstpv)

IntelCenter

(http://intelcenter.com)

International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)

(http://www.pvtr.org)

International Crisis Group (ICG)

(http://www.crisisgroup.org)

International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)

(http://www.iiss.org)

International Policy Institute for Counter‐Terrorism (ICT)

(http://www.ict.org.il)

Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT)

(http://www.mipt.org)

Saban Center at the Brookings Institution

(http://www.brookings.edu/saban.aspx)

Senlis Council

(http://www.senliscouncil.net)

Southern Poverty Law Center

(http://www.splcenter.org)

Terrorism and Homeland Security at RAND Corporation

(http://www.rand.org/research_areas/terrorism)

Terrorism Research Center (TRC)

(http://www.terrorism.org)

Transnational Radical Islamism Project at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment

(http://www.mil.no/felles/ffi/english/start/research/Analysis_Division/_TERRA)

United States Institute of Peace

(http://www.usip.org/index.html)

4. Sample syllabus

Course Title: A Sociological Analysis of Terrorism and Counterterrorism

Course Description

In this course, we will explore the most relevant issues around terrorism and counterterrorism policies. Although we will largely approach this topic from a sociological perspective, this study is quite interdisciplinary. Consequently, we will be reading works from other academic disciplines, including history, psychology, political science, and economics. There are four major areas that any analysis of terrorism, to be comprehensive, should take into account: the definition of terrorism; its history and classification; its explanations; and an assessment of consequences related to counterterrorism. After an introduction to terrorism research (part 1), we will discuss the controversies related to the definition of terrorism (part 2) and to data collection (part 3), both necessary for an understanding of tendencies concerning terrorist incidents. A historical overview (part 4) will give us some preliminary information about the variety of terrorist campaigns – information that prepares us for the next exercise (part 5): grouping terrorist organisations by different types. Looking in more depth at the evolution of terrorism in the last decade, we will examine the case of Al‐Qaeda (part 6), and how this and other organisations exploit old and new media, especially the Internet (part 7). The next chapter will be the explanation of terrorism, that is, the specification of the main psychological, political, cultural, and religious factors underlying the emergence of a terrorist organisation and the unfolding of a terrorist campaign. Suicide terrorism will be used as a case study. More specifically, we will approach terrorism by examining the motivations and rationality of terrorist organisations (part 8), of the communities that support them (part 9), and of those who join them (part 10). We end the course by focusing on both the legal (part 11) and strategic (part 12) implications of counterterrorism measures adopted since 2001.

Course outline and reading assignments

Part 1. Terrorism Research

An overview of the most important approaches to the study of terrorism and of the strengths and weaknesses of available analyses.

Bjørgo, Tore 2005. ‘Introduction’ (pp. 1–15) and ‘Conclusions’ (pp. 256–264) in Root Causes of Terrorism: Myths, Realities and Ways Forward, edited by Tore Bjørgo. London, UK: Routledge.

Crenshaw, Martha 2000. ‘The Psychology of Terrorism: An Agenda for the 21st Century.’Political Psychology 21 (2): 405–420 (Doi: 10.1111/0162-895X.00195).

Ranstorp, Magnus 2007. ‘Introduction: Mapping Terrorism Research – Challenges and Priorities.’ Pp. 1–28 in Mapping Terrorism Research, edited by Magnus Ranstorp. London, UK: Routledge.

Silke, Andrew 2004. ‘An Introduction to Terrorism Research.’ Pp. 1–29 in Research on Terrorism: Trends, Achievements and Failures, edited by Andrew Silke. London, UK: Frank Cass.

Sinai, Joshua 2007. ‘New Trends in Terrorism Studies: Strengths and Weaknesses.’ Pp. 31–50 in Mapping Terrorism Research, edited by Magnus Ranstorp. London, UK: Routledge.

Turk, Austin T. 2004. ‘Sociology of Terrorism.’Annual Review of Sociology 30: 271–286 (Doi: 10.1146/annurev.soc.30.012703.110510).

Wilkinson, Paul 2007. ‘Research into Terrorism Studies: Achievements and Failures.’ Pp. 316–328 in Mapping Terrorism Research, edited by Magnus Ranstorp. London, UK: Routledge.

Part 2. What is Terrorism?

A discussion of one of the most controversial issues, the definition of terrorism, focusing on its political and methodological implications.

Aly, Waleed 2008. ‘The Axiom of Evil.’The Guardian, 8 July, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/08/nelsonmandela.terrorism (last accessed: 8 July 2008).

Hoffman, Bruce 2006. Chapter 1 (pp. 1–42). Inside Terrorism. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

della Porta, Donatella 2004. ‘Terror Against the State.’ Pp. 208–16 in The Blackwell Companion to Political Sociology, edited by Kate Nash and Alan Scott. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing.

Schmid, Alexander P. 2004. ‘Frameworks for Conceptualising Terrorism.’Terrorism and Political Violence 16 (2): 197–221 (Doi: 10.1080/09546550490483134).

Tilly, Charles 2004. ‘Terror, Terrorism, Terrorist.’Sociological Theory 22 (1): 5–16 (Doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9558.2004.00200.x).

Tosini, Domenico 2007. ‘Sociology of Terrorism and Counterterrorism: A Social Science Understanding of Terrorist Threat’, Sociology Compass 1 (2), 664–681 (Doi: 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2007.00035.x).

Wilkinson, Paul 2006. Chapter 1 (pp. 1–19). Terrorism versus Democracy: The Liberal State Response. London, UK: Routledge.

Part 3. Collecting Data on Terrorism Incidents

An introduction to the challenges and solutions to the collection of terrorism data, a preliminary and crucial aspect of any scientific analysis.

Buchalter, Alice R. and Glenn E. Curtis 2003. Inventory and Assessment of Databases Relevant for Social Science Research on Terrorism. Washington, DC: Federal Research Division Library of Congress, http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/frd (last accessed 10 June 2008).

Enders, Walter and Todd Sandler 2006. Chapter 3 (pp. 52–83). The Political Economy of Terrorism. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Lafree, Gary 2007. ‘Introducing the Global Terrorism Database.’Terrorism and Political Violence 19 (2): 181–204 (Doi: 10.1080/09546550701246817).

HSP 2008. Human Security Brief 2007. Dying to Lose: Explaining the Decline in Global Terrorism. Simon Fraser University, Canada: Human Security Report Project, http://www.humansecuritybrief.info/HSRP_Brief_2007.pdf (last accessed 15 June 2008).

Part 4. Waves of Terror: The Evolution of Terrorism

A look at terrorism from a historical perspective in an attempt to identify continuities and discontinuities in the use of political violence.

Abrahms, Max 2006. ‘Why Terrorism Does Not Work.’International Security 31 (2): 42–78 (Doi: 10.1162/isec.2006.31.2.42).

Duyvesteyn, Isabelle 2004. ‘How New Is the New Terrorism?’Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 27 (5): 439–454 (Doi: 10.1080/10576100490483750).

Hoffman, Bruce 2006. Chapters 2–4 (pp. 43–130). Inside Terrorism. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

Jenkins, Brian 1975. International Terrorism: A New Mode of Conflict. Research Paper n. 48, California Seminar on Arms Control and Foreign Policy.

Kaplan, Jeffrey 2007. ‘The Fifth Wave: The New Tribalism?’Terrorism and Political Violence 19 (4): 545–570 (Doi: 10.1080/09546550701606564).

Laqueur, Walter 2002. Chapters 1–2 (pp. 3–78). A History of Terrorism. London, UK: Transaction Publishers.

Münkler, Herfried 2005. Chapter 5 (pp. 99–116). The New Wars. Cambridge, UK: Polity.

Rapoport, David C. 2004. ‘Modern Terror: The Four Waves.’ Pp. 46–73 in Attacking Terrorism: Elements of a Great Strategy, edited by Audrey Cronin and J. Ludes. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.

Reed, Donald J. 2008. ‘Beyond the War on Terror: Into the Fifth Generation of War and Conflict.’Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 31 (8): 684–722 (Doi: 10.1080/10576100802206533).

Part 5. Typologies of Terrorist Movements

An overview of the complex task of classifying terrorist organisations on the basis of characteristics such as political objectives, ideological frames, and the cleavages between them and their enemies.

Goodwin, Jeff 2006. ‘A Theory of the Categorical Terrorism.’Social Forces 84 (4): 2027–2046.

Gunaratna, Rohan and Graeme C. S. Steven 2004. Chapter 1 (pp. 1–98). Counterterrorism. Santa Barbara, CA: Abc Clio.

Schmid, Alexander P. and Albert J. Jongman 1988. Chapter 2 (in collaboration with M. Stohl and P. A. Fleming, pp. 39–60). Political Terrorism. London, UK: Transaction Publishers.

Tosini, Domenico 2007. ‘Sociology of Terrorism and Counterterrorism: A Social Science Understanding of Terrorist Threat.’Sociology Compass 1 (2), 664–681 (Doi: 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2007.00035.x).

Wilkinson, Paul 2006. Chapter 2 (pp. 20–38). Terrorism versus Democracy: The Liberal State Response. London, UK: Routledge.

Part 6. Al‐Qaeda and its Affiliates: Ideologies, Strategies, Structures

A sociological look at the ideological, strategic, and organisational aspects of Al‐Qaeda's terrorism from the 1980s to its most recent campaign in Iraq.

Al‐Zayyat, Montasser 2004. The Road to Al‐Qaeda. London, UK: Pluto Press.

Gunaratna, Rohan 2002. Chapters 1–2 (pp. 21–126). Inside Al‐Qaeda. New York, NY: Berkley Books.

Pape, Robert A. 2005. Chapter 7 (pp. 102–125). Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism. New York, NY: Random House.

Sageman, Marc 2004. Chapters 1‐2 (pp. 1‐60). Understanding Terror Networks. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Hafez, Mohammed M. 2007. Chapters 1–5 (pp. 35–162). Suicide Bombers in Iraq. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace Press.

Part 7. Terrorism and the Media

An exploration of the ways that terrorist organisations exploit old and new media, especially the Internet, as communicative channels (for staging their attacks, threats, demands, and propaganda) and as instrumental tools (for fund raising, coordination, and recruitment).

Hoffman, Bruce 2006. Chapters 6–7 (pp. 173–228). Inside Terrorism. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

ICG 2006. In Their Own Words: Reading the Iraqi Insurgency. International Crisis Group: Middle East Report No 50, 15 February, http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=3953&l=1 (last accessed 5 February 2008).

Rogan, Hanna 2006. Jihadism Online: A Study of How Al‐Qaeda and Radical Islamist Groups Use Internet for Terrorist Purposes. Norwegian Defence Research Establishment: FFI/RAPPORT‐2006/00915, http://rapporter.ffi.no/rapporter/2006/00915.pdf (last accessed 5 June 2008).

Sageman, Marc 2008. Chapter 6 (pp. 109–123). Leaderless Jihad. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Weimann, Gabriel 2006. Chapters 3–4 (pp. 49–145). Terror on the Internet. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace Press.

Part 8. Terrorist Organisations and Their Logic

An examination of the political objectives and ideologies of terrorist organisations and an overview of the rationality and strategies underlying their decision‐making in relation to the political opportunities and military events shaping their environment.

Boyns, David and James David Ballard 2004. ‘Developing a Sociological Theory for the Empirical Understanding of Terrorism.’American Sociologist 35 (2): 5–26 (Doi: 10.1007/BF02692394).

Crenshaw, Martha 1998. ‘The Logic of Terrorism: Terrorist Behaviour as a Product of Strategic Choice.’ Pp. 7–24 in Origins of Terrorism, edited by Walter Reich. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Center Press.

Gambetta, Diego 2006. ‘Can We Make Sense of Suicide Missions?’ Pp. 259–299 in Making Sense of Suicide Missions, edited by Diego Gambetta. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Hafez, Mohammed and Quintan Wiktorowicz 2004. ‘Violence as Contention in the Egyptian Islamic Movement.’ Pp. 61–88 in Islamic Activism: A Social Movement Theory Approach, edited Quintan Wiktorowicz. Indianapolis, IN: Indiana University Press.

Kalyvas, Stathis 2006. Chapters 6–7 (pp. 147–208). The Logic of Violence in Civil War. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Kramer, Martin 1998. ‘The Moral Logic of Hezbollah.’ Pp. 131–157 in Origins of Terrorism, edited by Walter Reich. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Center Press.

Pape, Robert A. 2005. Chapters 3–5 (pp. 27–60). Dying to Win. New York, NY: Random House.

Tosini, Domenico 2009. ‘A Sociological Understanding of Suicide Attacks.’Theory, Culture & Society (Forthcoming).

Part 9. Mechanisms of Social Support

A discussion of the economic, cultural, and political conditions which make possible the support for, and collaboration with, terrorist organisations by members of certain communities.

Cook, David and Olivia Allison 2007. Chapters 1–5 (pp. 1–85). Understanding and Addressing Suicide Attacks: The Faith and Politics of Martyrdom Operations. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International.

Chernick, Marc 2007. ‘FARC‐EP: From Liberal Guerrillas to Marxist Rebels to Post‐Cold War Insurgency.’ Pp. 51–120 in Terror, Insurgency, and the State, edited by Marianne Heiberg et al. Philadelphia, PA: University Pennsylvania Press.

Hashim, Ahmed S. 2006. Chapter 2 (pp. 59–124). Insurgency and Counter‐Insurgency in Iraq. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Kalyvas, Stathis 2006. Chapter 4 (pp. 87–110). The Logic of Violence in Civil War. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Merari, Ariel 2005. ‘Social, Organizational and Psychological Factors in Suicide Terrorism.’ Pp. 70–86 in Root Causes of Terrorism: Myths, Realities and Ways Forward, edited by Tore Bjørgo. London, UK: Routledge.

Pape, Robert A. 2005. Chapters 6–8 (pp. 79–167). Dying to Win. New York, NY: Random House.

Part 10. Social Networks and Recruitment

An analysis of the motivations behind the process of joining terrorist organisations and of the role played by group dynamics and social networks.

della Porta, Donatella 1995. Chapter 7 (pp. 165–186). Social Movements, Political Violence, and the State. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Sageman, Marc 2004. Chapters 4–5 (pp. 99–173). Understanding Terror Networks. Philadelphia, PA: University Pennsylvania Press.

Horgan, John 2005. Chapter 3 (pp. 47–79). The Psychology of Terrorism. London, UK: Routledge.

Khosrokhavar, Fahad 2005. Chapter 3 (pp. 149–224). Suicide Bombers. London, UK: Pluto Press.

Pedahzur, Ami 2005. Chapters 6–7 (pp. 118–181). Suicide Terrorism. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.

Stern, Jessica 2003. Chapter 9 (pp. 237–280). Terror in the Name of God. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publisher.

Wintrobe, Ronald 2006. Chapters 5–6 (pp. 108–157). Rational Extremism: The Political Economy of Radicalism. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Part 11. Counterterrorism I: Legal Implications

An overview of the emergency powers of antiterrorism legislations and ‘special measures’, and an analysis of their legal impact on the protection of human rights.

Cole, David 2003. Chapters 1–5 (pp. 17–82). Enemy Aliens. New York, NY: The Free Press.

Haubrich, Dirk 2003. ‘September 11, Anti‐Terror Laws and Civil Liberties: Britain, France and Germany Compared.’Government and Opposition 38 (1): 3–29 (Doi: 10.1111/1477-7053.00002).

Parker, Tom 2005. ‘Counterterrorism Policies in the United Kingdom.’ Pp. 119–148 in Protecting Liberty in an Age of Terror, edited by Philip B. Heymann and Juliette N. Kayyem. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Tosini, Domenico 2007. ‘Sociology of Terrorism and Counterterrorism: A Social Science Understanding of Terrorist Threat’, Sociology Compass 1 (2): 664–681 (Doi: 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2007.00035.x).

Part 12. Counterterrorism II: Strategic Limitations

An examination of the most important counterterrorism policies adopted since 2001, with special reference to the occupation of Iraq, and an assessment of their advantages and risks for combating and preventing terrorism.

Nesser, Peter 2006. ‘Jihadism in Western Europe After the Invasion of Iraq: Tracing Motivational Influences from the Iraq War on Jihadist Terrorism in Western Europe.’Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 29 (4): 323–342 (Doi: 10.1080/10576100600641899).

Pape, Robert A. 2005. Chapter 12 (pp. 237–250). Dying to Win. New York, NY: Random House.

Silke, Andrew 2005. ‘Fire of Iolaus: The Role of State Countermeasures in Causing Terrorism and What Needs to Be Done.’ Pp. 241–255 in Root Causes of Terrorism: Myths, Realities and Ways Forward, edited by Tore Bjørgo. London, UK: Routledge.

Smelser, Neil J. 2007. Chapter 6 (pp. 160–199). The Faces of Terrorism: Social and Psychological Dimensions. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Tosini, Domenico 2007. ‘Sociology of Terrorism and Counterterrorism: A Social Science Understanding of Terrorist Threat’, Sociology Compass 1 (2): 664–681 (Doi: 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2007.00035.x).

Wilkinson, Paul 2006. Chapters 5–6 (pp. 61–102). Terrorism versus Democracy: The Liberal State Response. London, UK: Routledge.

5. Films and videos

Al‐Qaeda Film on the First Anniversary of the London Bombings. 2006 (17 min)

(http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/215/1186.htm)

Excerpts from a message from 2005 London bomber Shehzad Tanweer and statements by Al‐Qaeda leaders Ayman Al‐Zawahiri and Adam Gadahn, posted on http://www.tajdeed.net.tc on 8 July 2006. A typical example of the communicative use of the Internet by Islamists in their attempt to frame terrorist attacks as legitimate acts of martyrdom, committed by courageous Muslims in defence of their brothers and sisters in occupied Muslim lands (e.g. Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine).

Al‐Qaeda Leader in Iraq Abu Musab Al‐Zarqawi's First Televised Interview. 2006 (17 min)

(http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/344/1118.htm)

A video posted by the Islamist web forum http://www.alsaha.com on 25 April 2006, in which the Al‐Qaeda commander in Iraq Abu Musab Al‐Zarqawi (killed by an airstrike on 7 June 2006) outlines all the typical condemnations (by Islamist extremists) of the Iraq occupation by the US‐led coalition, and calls for a jihad against its forces and allies. Propagandising the military capabilities of Al‐Qaeda, the video culminates in footage of Al‐Zarqawi with masked fighters, firing an automatic weapon, and ‘new missiles’ developed by ‘the brothers’.

Al‐Arabiya TV Special on the Culture of Martyrdom and Suicide Bombers. 2005 (7 min)

(http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/215/807.htm)

Excerpts from a show about the culture of martyrdom, aired on Al‐Arabiya TV on 22 July 2005. The documentary investigates some of the most relevant religious and political justifications and symbolic representations among Islamist extremists in favour of suicide attacks. In particular, it looks at the Palestinian organisations Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and at the Lebanese Hezbollah. The film includes an interview with Maha Ghandour, the wife of Salah Ghandour, who was responsible for a suicide attack carried out in 1995 on behalf of Hezbollah against an Israeli military convoy.

Battle For Haditha. 2007 (93 min)

(http://www.nickbroomfield.com/haditha.html)

In this film, the director Nick Broomfield looks at the dramatic events surrounding an incident that occurred in Haditha, Iraq, when 24 Iraqis were allegedly massacred by US Marines, following the death of a Marine in a bombing perpetrated by Iraqi insurgents. The harsh reality of the war is viewed from three perspectives: that of the US troops, the insurgents who committed the attacks, and a civilian Iraqi family.

Iranian Animated Film for Children Promotes Suicide Bombings. 2005 (10 min)

(http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/215/906.htm)

Including excerpts from an Iranian animated movie for children, aired on IRIB 3 TV on 28 October 2005, this film is an example of the mechanisms of de‐humanization of the enemy (the Israelis), based on a tale of the ferocious murder of innocent people by Israeli soldiers. This incident is followed by a bomb attack framed as an act of martyrdom by young militants in revenge of the previous assassination.

Paradise Now. 2005 (91 min)

In his film, the director Hany Abu‐Assad focuses on the final days of two Palestinian militants as they prepare to carry out a suicide attack in Tel Aviv. Once childhood friends Said (Kais Nashef) and Khaled (Ali Suliman) are offered such an attack, they feel a sense of purpose in serving their people's cause, whereas a young Palestinian woman, after learning of their plan, tries to dissuade them from carrying out their missions. Paradise Now has been viewed as a controversial attempt to examine the motivations of suicide bombers.

The Reach of War: Sectarian War in Iraq. 2006 (7 min)

(http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2006/12/28/world/20061228_SECTARIAN_FEATURE.html)

The New York Times journalist Marc Santora reports on some of the most violent and bloody effects of the sectarian violence perpetrated in Iraq during the civil war between Sunnis and Shiites, which has followed the occupation by the US‐led coalition.

The Road to Guantanamo. 2006 (92 min)

(http://www.roadtoguantanamomovie.com)

Directed by Michael Winterbottom, the film tells the story of four friends beginning a holiday in Pakistan. Through a series of interviews and news footage, the film shows how they end up in Afghanistan, where are then captured by American forces and kept in harsh conditions at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for over 2 years.

The Role of Foreign Fighters in the Iraqi Jihad. 2006 (9 min)

(http://www1.nefafoundation.org/multimedia‐original.html)

In this video, NEFA Foundation expert Evan Kohlmann documents the phenomenon of foreign fighters in Iraq and their role within the Sunni insurgency. The video includes footage of senior figures from Abu Musab al‐Zarqawi's terrorist group (including Lebanese, Saudi, and Kuwaiti nationals) and scenes from Al‐Qaida training camps in Iraq.

The Suicide Bomber. 2005 (12 min)

(http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/terrorism/july‐dec05/bombers_11‐14.html)

In this debate aired on PBS on 14 November 2005, three experts (Mia Bloom, Mohammed M. Hafez, and Robert A. Pape) discuss what motivates suicide bombers and their terrorist organisations, with special reference to the 2005 hotel bombings in Amman, Jordan, where a female militant joining these attacks was found alive after her bomb failed to detonate.

The Terrorist Propaganda (three videos):

Indexing Al‐Qaeda Online.
2005 (6 min)

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp‐dyn/content/custom/2005/08/05/CU2005080501141.html?whichDay=1)

Without the Video, It's Just an Attack.
2007 (5 min)

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp‐dyn/content/video/2007/09/28/VI2007092800608.html)

Al‐Qaeda's Growing Online Offensive.
2008 (14 min)

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp‐dyn/content/article/2008/06/23/AR2008062302135.html)

Over the last decade, terrorist propaganda on the Internet has increased dramatically. In these videos, experts discuss how insurgent groups, in particular Islamist extremists in Iraq and Afghanistan, are using new media to spread their messages worldwide, to chronicle their operations (including the assembly and emplacement of roadside bombs targeting US forces), to recruit, and to raise money.

6. Focus questions

What challenges do researchers interested in terrorism studies face and why? What are the most important theoretical and methodological weaknesses in current terrorism research?

How can we define terrorism? What political controversies affect the definition of terrorism? When comparing different terrorism data sets, what kinds of diagnoses can we make on the tendencies of terrorist incidents in the last decade?

How has terrorism changed in history? Based on the literature concerning Al‐Qaeda's ideology, strategies, and structures, what continuities and discontinuities can we identify with respect to previous forms of terrorism?

When dealing with the explanation of terrorism, what are the most significant factors to be taken into account? How can we learn from the current literature on suicide terrorism in order to build a comprehensive model for its explanation?

Given the legislative and military responses to September 11 and subsequent attacks (e.g. the 2005 London bombings), what have been the legal consequences affecting our societies and the strategic implications for combating and preventing terrorist violence?

7. Seminars

Participants will be divided into small groups of about three persons. Each group will be asked to make a contribution to a sociological analysis (either written or presented) of a specific armed organisation, such as:

Al‐Gama’a Al‐Islamiyya

Al‐Qaeda

Al‐Qaeda in Iraq

Al‐Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (formerly Salafist Group for Call and Combat)

Ansar Al‐Sunnah

Ansar Al‐Islam

Armed Islamic Groups (GIA)

Army of God

Aum Shinrikyo

Chechen separatists

Egyptian Islamic Jihad

Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA)

Hamas

Hezbollah

Irgun Zvai Leumi

Irish Republican Army (IRA)

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan

Jemaah Islamiyah

Kashmiri separatists

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

Lashkar‐e‐Jhangvi

Libyan Islamic Fighting Group

Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO)

Red Army Faction (RAF)

Red Brigades (BR)

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)

Taliban.

For each armed organisation, each group will examine the following aspects:

data on its attacks – including information that justifies the label of ‘terrorist organisation’;

a historical account of its origins and developments;

an analysis of the strategy underlying its terrorist campaigns;

a clarification of its social support and collaboration (if any);

a profile of its militants and patterns of recruitment;

a discussion of the counterterrorism policies adopted by states and their impact on the terrorist organisation.

Note

* Correspondence address: Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Research, Piazza Venezia 41 – 38100 Trento, Italy, +39 0461 881324; +39 0461 881348 (fax); +39 347 2329219 (mobile); Email: domenico.tosini@soc.unitn.it

http://portale.unitn.it/dpt/dsrs/docenti/tosini.htm