Contemporary Debates on Terrorism

Richard Jackson is Professor of Peace Studies and Director of the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Otago, New Zealand. He is the founding editor and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Critical Studies on Terrorism and editor of the Routledge Critical Terrorism Studies book series. His most recent publications include the Routledge Handbook of Critical Terrorism Studies (Routledge, 2016) and Confessions of a Terrorist (2014).Daniela Pisoiu is a Senior Researcher at the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (OIIP), Vienna, Austria. She is author of Islamist Radicalisation in Europe: An Occupational Change Process (Routledge, 2011), co-author of Theories of Terrorism: An Introduction (Routledge, 2017) and editor of Arguing Counterterrorism: New Perspectives (Routledge, 2014).

• Introduction: contemporary debates on terrorism, Richard Jackson and Daniela Pisoiu PART I: THE DEFINITION AND STUDY OF TERRORISM 1. Is terrorism still a useful analytical term or should it be abandoned? YES: An agreed concept is possible and useful, Anthony Richards NO: A landscape of meaning: constructing understandings of political violence from the broken paradigm of ‘terrorism’, Dominic Bryan 2. Is Critical Terrorism Studies a useful approach for the study of terrorism? YES: The necessity of a critical approach, Christopher Baker-Beall NO: Don’t give it the oxygen of publicity, Roger Mac Ginty PART II: CATEGORIES OF TERRORISM 3. Is there a ‘new terrorism’ in existence today? YES: The relevance of the ‘new terrorism’ concept, Ersun N. Kurtulus NO: The fallacy of the new terrorism thesis, Isabelle Duyvesteyn and Leena Malkki 4. Can states be terrorists? YES: Terrorism is an equal opportunity tactic, Scott Englund and Michael Stohl NO: State terrorism: who needs it?, Colin Wight PART III: THE TERRORISM THREAT 5. Is terrorism a serious threat to international and national security? YES: The continuing threat to state security, James Lutz and Brenda Lutz NO: The myth of terrorism as an existential threat, Jessica Wolfendale 6. Is WMD terrorism a likely prospect in the future? YES: The impact of CBRN terrorism – a general perspective, Natvidad Carpintero-Santamaria NO: WMD terrorism: the prospects, John Mueller 7. Is cyber-terrorism a real threat? YES: Why we should start from this assumption, Maura Conway NO: A narrated catastrophe, not a real threat, Myriam Dunn Cavelty 8. Does al Qaeda still pose the more significant threat? YES: The enduring al-Qaeda threat: a network perspective, Jeffrey B. Cozzens and Magnus Ranstorp NO: Al-Qaeda: a diminishing threat, Lee Jarvis 9. Are returning foreign fighters future terrorists? YES: Returning foreign fighters are future terrorists, Edwin Bakker and Jeanine de Roy van Zuijdewijn NO: Terrorists returning home were not radicalized abroad, Richard Bach Jensen and Felix Lippe PART IV: THE CAUSES OF TERRORISM 10. Is terrorism the result of root causes such as poverty and exclusion? YES: How structural factors explain terrorism, Dipak Gupta NO: Poverty and exclusion are not the root causes of terrorism, Graham R. Huesmann and L. Rowell Huesmann 11. Is religious extremism a major cause of terrorism? YES: Religious extremism as a major cause of terrorism, Amanda Munroe and Fathali M. Moghaddam NO: ‘Religious terrorism’ as ideology, Jeff Goodwin PART V: DEALING WITH TERRORISM 12. Are counterterrorism frameworks based on suppression and military force effective in responding to terrorism? YES: The use of force to combat terrorism, Boaz Ganor NO: Wars on terror – learning the lessons of failure, Paul Rogers 13. Are drones a useful counterterrorism tool? YES: But the means must justify the ends, Christine Sixta Rinehart NO: Drones create a perpetual war for perpetual peace, Rory Finegan 14. Are counter-radicalisation approaches an effective counterterrorist tool? YES: An effective counterterrorism tool, Daniel Koehler NO: A suspect counterterrorism ‘science’ that ignores economic marginalisation, foreign policy and ethics, Charlotte Heath-Kelly 15. Is mass surveillance a useful tool in the fight against terrorism? YES: Keeping us safe now and helping us improve for the future, Jesse Paul Lehrke NO: A high cost, low reward approach, Ivan Greenberg 16. Have global efforts to reduce terrorism and political violence since 9/11 been effective? YES: ‘Looking for a needle in a stack of needles’, Mark Cochrane and Gabrielle Nugent NO: ‘Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut’, Rachel Monaghan

'A sophisticated contribution to the understanding of terrorism. Theoretically serious-minded, and genuinely multi-disciplinary, it adds very powerfully to existing debates on a globally significant phenomenon’--Richard English, Queen’s University Belfast, UKPraise for the first edition:'Few topics have stimulated as much public debate as contemporary terrorism. What, if anything, does the word itself mean? Where did it come from? How serious a threat does it pose, and to whom? What are the best means for stopping it or at least mitigating its effects? [The editors] have assembled an outstanding group of scholars who debate the answers to these and other questions in a way that provides readers with clear understandings of both the complexity of the problems involved and alternative ways of solving them.' -- Leonard Weinberg, University of Nevada, USA 'This is a comprehensive, thought-provoking and fascinating volume. It provides the reader with conflicting views on terrorism and terrorism related phenomena. The authors are prominent scholars who offer fascinating arguments in a lucid style. This is the kind of scholarship that every individual who has an interest in terrorism should follow.'- Ami Pedahzur, University of Texas at Austin, USA 'This is an impressive collection of essays on a number of critically important debates on terrorism and political violence by an outstanding group of scholars. Incredibly rich, sober and mature in analysis Contemporary Debates on Terrorism is an excellent addition to the currently available literature and deserves to be read not only by academic specialists but also by security analysts, policy makers and general readers concerned about international security issues.' -- George Kassimeris, University of Wolverhampton, UK'Contemporary Debates on Terrorism presents a lively and informative selection of central debates which exemplify the modern terrorist environment. [The editors] have assembled an exceptionally qualified panel of experts who articulately address critical issues defining the nature of present-day terrorism. Questions posed by the authors, and the robust positions taken by experts in this field, are guaranteed to stimulate critical thinking and quality discussions among readers.' -- Gus Martin, California State University, USA 'An innovative pedagogic approach to studying terrorism and counterterrorism through a debate format, with scholars representing different perspectives debating one another over controversial issues.'--Joshua Sinai, 'Terrorism Bookshelf: Top 150 Books on Terrorism and Counterterrorism', Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol. 6, No. 2 (2012) 'A terrific contribution to any library, personal or academic, and should there be a follow up work to this venture from Jackson and Sinclair, it will be sought after.'-- Devon Simons, Aberystwyth University, UK