NCJ Number
85877
Editor(s)
P Wilkinson
Date Published
1981
Length
195 pages
Annotation
This series of essays presenting British perspectives on terrorism considers the strategy and tactics of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the views of British specialists on international terrorism and the problems of international cooperation in fighting terrorism.
Abstract
The first four articles consider the origins, aims, and tactics of the Provisional IRA, the social and political implications of the violence, and the response of the British authorities and public. Another article takes the remarks made by Ulrike Meinhoff during the 1972 trial of Horst Mahler in West Germany as a point of departure in examining some of the ideas and assumptions of the members of the terrorist group to which he belonged. The police response to terrorism in England, Wales, and Scotland is considered in one essay, with special emphasis on the necessity of good police-public relations in a democratic state. Legal and organizational developments related to the prevention of terrorism are evaluated by referring to the traditional view of the police and the police functions in Britain. Another article assesses the development of British kidnap risk management, including kidnap and ransom insurance. This is followed by a review of the central political issues that have pervaded the United Nations debates on hostagetaking that produced the Convention Against the Taking of Hostages. The concluding article summarizes proposals for government and international responses to terrorism appropriate for liberal democracies. Notes accompany each presentation, and a subject index is provided.