The Age of Terrorism
Laqueur has returned to his excellent 1977 work, Terrorism, and completely revised and updated it in the light of events of the past decade. He charts the history of political terror from its roots in 19th-century Europe, through the anarchists of the 1880s and 1890s, the right- and left-wing factions of the early 20th century, to the multinational operations of today. He examines the sociology of terrorism: funding, intelligence gathering, weapons and tactics, informers and countermeasures, and the crucial role of the media. He also probes the question of motivation: is there a "terrorist personality"? Or is terrorism rooted in legitimate grievances that if addressed would end violence? Challenging certain assumptions that still hinder understanding of the phenomena, Laqueur demystifies terrorism without belittling its importance. ISBN 0-316-51478-0: $19.55.