NCJ Number
104378
Date Published
1987
Length
176 pages
Annotation
This examination of terrorist violence since the 1960's features up-to-date information on terrorist activities in Ireland, Europe, and the Middle East, along with discussions on strategies to defeat terrorism and the effects of television coverage.
Abstract
A brief history of terrorism begins with the 1793-94 Reign of Terror in France and moves through World War II. The author notes that the nature of terrorism then changed as the murder of political personalities gave way to random killing of innocent people. Chapters on terrorism of the 1960's examine the influence of Marxists, the guerilla theorists, and the new theorists of urban terrorism. The author discusses the objectives, activities, financing, and leaders of terrorist groups in Latin America, the United States, West Germany, Italy, and Northern Ireland. Palestinian groups are also covered, including Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Abu Nidal's group. Ties among terrorist groups are described, particularly in regard to financing, training, equipment, and procurement. In discussing antiterrorist strategies, the author emphasizes prevention over retaliation, espouses voluntary restraint by the media over government controls, and discusses the philosophy of nonviolence as set forth by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Approximately 25 references and index.