I want to learn more about terrorism, how it’s funded, how networks and structured and what methods they use. Information in the same book about counterrorism would be helpful, but not required. I can get another book for that.
What’s a good book about this subject, or a good couple of books? I know there’s no great shortage of such books, which is one of the reasons I’m asking. I want narrow the field somewhat.
Terrorism is a tactic. Different groups, movements and entities can resort to terrorism for different purposes, and in different circumstances. They may have quite diverse funding sources, networks and structures. Governments, for example, can resort to terrorism; obviously their funding sources, networks and structures are quite different to those of a guerilla movement fighting a domestic government without outside support.
So I doubt if you’re going to find the book you want; there’s no reason to expect that all terrorists, or most terrorists, would have much in common as regards funding, networks or structures. You need to narrow your field a little, perhaps identifying particular movements or organisations which you regard as resorting to terrorism and looking for information on their funding, networks and organisational structures.
You can download it for free or buy it cheap from just about any bookstore. It’s even been nominated for literary awards.
A book that gives a US government study on this issue:
WHO BECOMES A TERRORIST AND WHY
The 1999 government report on profiling terrorists
by Rex A.Hudson and the Staff of Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress.
THE LYONS PRESS
Guilford, Connecticut
ISBN 1-58574-754-8
Price: $ 5.95
At first sight (I have it for some time but only briefly looked into it) this compact book gives me the impression to approach the issue very well (from a US-based approach) and while doing so it still remains comprehensive for readers with little or even no insight at all in this complex issue.
Hence I would recommend you to start with reading this report. The price is neglectable, the edition is so compact that you can take it with you in your pocket yet still it gives you a lot of basic information about terrorists and terrorist groups worldwide.
Salaam. A
For the methods of terrorism and counterterrorism part, Combating Terrorism is a book I’d recommend; it deals with the case studies of ten countries with terrorism problems and how they have dealt (or not dealt) with them. It doesn’t have much about funding and structure though.
If you want to look at what happens in history of a single terrorist, you might want to read The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden, and the Future of Terrorism. It pretty much focuses just on Ramzi Yousef and his plots, chase, and capture. I didn’t like this one as much.
A very interesting book which deals in part with counter-terrorism and security issues is Inside Delta Force by Eric Haney, a founding member of Delta.
His website is erichaney.com or you can try insidedeltaforce.com.
Moved to CS.
-xash
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