Confronting Fear: A History of Terrorism

ISBN 10: 1560253991 / ISBN 13: 9781560253990

Published by Basic Books, 2002

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Confronting Fear: A History of Terrorism
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1560253991
• ISBN 13: 9781560253990
• Binding: paperback
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

Confronting Fear addresses the question, "How did we get here?" The events of September 11, 2001, had their origins in both the recent history of the Middle East and in events that took place hundreds of years ago in Europe and elsewhere. The writing collected in Confronting Fear provides the broadest possible basis to probe and understand these horribly destructive acts—whose purpose and rationale is complex and sometimes even contradictory—by offering both a perceptive and comprehensive long view. It gets into the mind of the terrorist, from those who present terrorism as a tool against the status quo to those who see it as a tool to bolster the status quo to those who insist terrorism is a purely ideological act. Confronting Fear includes portraits from a global rogue's gallery of terrorism, including Robespierre, Lawrence of Arabia, Abu Nidal, Carlos the Jackal, The Red Army, Theodore Kaczynski, Aum Shinrikyo, and Osama bin Laden. There are also discussions of movements that are or have been based in Japan, Russia, Germany, France, Ireland, Algeria, the United States, Afghanistan, Israel, and Palestine, with writings by experts and literary figures ranging from Simon Schama, T. E. Lawrence, and Joseph Conrad to Menachem Begin and V.S. Naipaul.

Reviews

This mistitled book is less a history than a compilation of writings on various forms of terrorism--political, religious, and "fringe," such as the Unabomber. Cronin, who has written eight books, including a study on American prison life, has an eye for drama in his selections. After a very short introduction (which is basically only a glossary), he begins with what he calls "prehistory," which takes us all the way back to the 1890s and the Greenwich Observatory Bombing of 1894, as well as the assassination of President McKinley. Much more to the point is an essay by Patrick Seale, which is based on his book Abu Nidal: A Gun for Hire, which provides an inside look at a major terrorist group. This is a good volume to have at hand in today's uncertain world as a quick reference to various instant newsmakers who populate our "Breaking News" mindset. Allen Weakland
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