Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Understanding the New Security Environment, Readings and Interpretations (Textbook)

In this new edition of TERRORISM AND COUNTERTERRORISM: UNDERSTANDING THE NEW SECURITY ENVIRONMENT, READINGS AND INTERPRETATIONS, Brigadier General (Retired) Russell Howard and Major Reid Sawyer have collected original and previously published seminal articles and essays by political scientists, government officials, and members of the nation’s armed forces. The editors and several of the authors write from practical field experience in the nation’s war on terrorism. Others have had significant responsibility for planning government policy and responses. The contributors include a majority of the significant names in the field including General (Retired) Wayne Downing (former Deputy National Security Advisor), General (Retired) Barry McCaffrey, Martha Crenshaw, Bruce Hoffman, Barry Posen, Jessica Stern. Part One of the book analyzes the philosophical, political, and religious roots of terrorist activities around the world and discusses the national, regional, and global effects of historical and recent acts of terrorism. In addition to material on the threats from suicide bombers, as well as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons, there are also important contributions analyzing new and growing threats: narco-terrorism, cyber-terrorism, genomic terrorism, and agro-terrorism. Part Two deals with past, present, and future national and international responses to--and defenses against--terrorism. Essays and articles in this section analyze and debate the practical, political, ethical, and moral questions raised by military and non-military responses (and pre-emptive actions) outside of the context of declared war. The two detailed Appendices are: Background Information on Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations; Chronology of Significant Terrorist Incidents, 2002-2004.

Brigadier General (retired) Russell Howard, a career Special Forces officer, is the former Head of the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy. He has had numerous antiterror and counterterror responsibilities and has taught and published books and articles on terrorism subjects. James Forest is the Director of Terrorism Studies and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the U.S. Military Academy. His teaching, research and publications focus on terrorist recruitment and training. Major Joanne Moore is a career Army officer, currently serving in Iraq. Until recently, she served as an assistant professor of political science at the U.S. Military Academy, teaching courses on American politics and homeland security.