Countering the New Terrorism

by Ian O. Lesser and Bruce Hoffman

Book Overview

Recent bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa remind us that U.S. citizens and U.S. interest are not immune to terrorism. Featuring the works of world-renowned experts, this book traces the recent evolution of international terrorism against civilian and U.S. military targets, looks ahead to where terrorism is going, and assesses how it might be cont

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0833026674
• ISBN13: 9780833026675
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: RAND Corporation
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Interesting Pre 9-11 Book

This is a fairly recently produced document that could act as a primer for terrorists activities against the US. The books main thrust was how these new terrorist organization threaten the US Air Force and what the Air Force can do to protect itself. Do not worry about the book being to narrow, the authors take a much broader view at describing the terrorist threat and we are not bogged down by new and improved guard post theories. As the book was written before 9-11 there are some comments that are chilling when viewed with today's knowledge of recent history.The book covers the basic organization structures of the terrorist organizations and how they operate. The book also gives a brief run down of who the current organizations that are active. It also talks about the trends in terrorism in both the type of groups and the type of attacks. The point the authors make is that there are fewer attacks, but they are increasing in their destructiveness. My only complaint was that the section talking about the organizational structures of the terrorist groups started to read like a management textbook, a little dry and dull. Overall the book is interesting with some very interesting comments viewed in a post 9-11 world. If you are looking for a quick brief of terrorists then this is a good place to start.

I cannot recommend this book enough!

This book is the result of a RAND Corporation study, undertaken for the United States Air Force, looking into the modern incarnations of terrorism, and its threat to the Air Force. However, this book goes far beyond its original purview. This book takes an in-depth look at the "new" terrorism, which is non-hierarchical and often non-ideological, but which is infinitely more prone to deadly violence and the use of weapons of mass destruction. This book begins with an examination of the "new" terrorism, referencing such diverse terrorist groups as Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda, Aum Shinrikyo in Japan, American Militias, and narco-terrorist organizations. The final chapter covers how to counter the new terrorism. This book, written in 1999, seems nothing short of prescient! On page 88 it says, "Until recent years, however, few of these [terrorist] attacks took place within the United States, partly because traditional terrorist groups found the prospect of operations in the United States too difficult, politically counterproductive, or simply unnecessary. Most observers now believe the threshold for significant international terrorism in the United States has been crossed..." If you are interested in understanding the new terrorism and the steps that need to be taken to counter it, or if you wish to understand the plans that are possibly being constructed by the United States government, then I cannot recommend this book enough. It gives the reader an excellent grasp of how new terrorist organizations are organized, how they work, how to fight them, and where future threats are likely to come from. Buy this book!

Excellent book

This book is excellent. It covers many topics, mainly related to Air Force Security, and makes each of them readable and interesting. I learned alot about where terrorists are coming from and some of the things the Air Force is doing to counter them.