A debate-style text designed to promote critical thinking on terrorism and counterterrorism in international politics and homeland security.
Debate is an important part of the classroom experience. However, most debate-style readers do a disservice to students by selecting readings from disparate sources that end up talking past one another. Gottlieb’s Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism is different. Featuring paired pro-con pieces written specifically for this volume, Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism encourages students to actively grapple with the central debates and questions surrounding the subject of terrorism and counterterrorism. With topics ranging from the root causes of terrorism, the role of religion in terrorism, whether suicide terrorism is ever justified, whether the spread of democracy can help defeat terrorism, and what trade-offs, if any, should exist between security and civil liberties, Gottlieb’s outstanding cast of contributors compell students to wrestle with the conflicting perspectives that define the field. Gottlieb frames the complexity and sophistication of these issues with incisive chapter headnotes providing students with the requisite context and preparing them to read each argument critically, allowing them to understand the past, present, and future of terrorism and counterterrorism. Each of the selections has been thoroughly updated to account for recent world events, policy changes, and new scholarship.
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A debate-style text designed to promote critical thinking on terrorism and counterterrorism in international politics and homeland security.
Foreword, by John Negroponte
About the Editor
Contributors
Preface
Acknowledgments
PART I: DEBATING TERRORISM
Chapter 1: Is the New Terrorism Really New?
NO: The new terrorism linked with the emergence of al-Qaeda is not so new.
Alexander Spencer
YES: Al-Qaeda sparked an entirely new type of terrorism.
Rohan Gunaratna
Chapter 2: Does Poverty Serve as a Root Cause of Terrorism?
NO: Poverty is a weak causal link.
James A. Piazza
YES: Poverty is an important adjacent cause.
Karin von Hippel
Chapter 3: Can Terrorism Ever Be Justified?
NO: Terrorist violence is never justified.
Tamar Meisels
YES: Terrorists offer clear justifications for their violence.
Julie Norman
Chapter 4: Is Far-Right Terrorism a Greater Threat than Islamist Militancy?
YES: Far-right extremism has surpassed militant jihadism as a primary
terrorism concern.
Mitch Silber
NO: Islamist militancy remains the number-one terror threat.
Lorenzo Vidino
Chapter 5: Is Suicide Terrorism an Effective Tactic?
YES: Suicide terrorism is a pragmatic choice.
Gordon McCormick
NO: Suicide terrorism is a political failure.
Max Abrahms
Chapter 6: Is Nuclear Terrorism a Real Threat?
YES: The threat is very real.
Stephen Flynn & Jessica Stern
NO: The threat is overblown.
Susan Martin
PART II: DEBATING COUNTERTERRORISM
Chapter 7: Counterterrorism Strategies: Do We Need Bombs Over Bridges?
NO: There is a need to focus more on non-military solutions.
Brigitte Nacos
YES:More creative military strategies are needed.
Michael Rubin
Chapter 8: Can Spreading Democracy Help Defeat Terrorism?
NO: Democracy promotion is problematic as a counterterrorism priority.
F. Gregory Gause III
YES: Promoting democracy can help combat terrorism.
Danielle Pletka
Chapter 9: Can International Organizations Make a Difference in Fighting
Terrorism?
NO: International organizations are limited in their ability to combat
terrorism.
Zachary Shirkey
YES: International organizations are necessary for fighting international
terrorism.
Bruce Cronin
Chapter 10: Are Drones an Effective Tool in Combating Terrorism?
NO: Drones represent a failed counterterrorism approach.
Audrey Kurth Cronin
YES: Drones are a critical hi-tech tool in combating globalized terror
movements.
Asfandyar Mir
Chapter 11: Counterterrorism and the Constitution: Does Providing Security
Require a Trade-Off with Civil Liberties?
YES: The United States needs to reasonably limit civil liberties and bolster
executive powers.
John Yoo
NO: Respecting civil liberties and preventing executive overreach are
critical to preserving Americas security and its ideals.
David Cole
Chapter 12: Conclusions: Is the Threat of Terrorism Overblown?
YES: The threat of terrorism is overblown and more manageable than
suspected.
John Mueller
NO: The threat is profound and will remain so for some time.
Walter Laqueur
Notes
Index
About the Editor Stuart Gottlieb teaches at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, where he is also a member of the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies. His courses and research focus on American foreign policy, counterterrorism, and international security. He formerly served as a senior foreign policy adviser and speechwriter in the U.S. Senate (1999-2003) and continues to advise and consult on issues related to foreign policy and terrorism. Gottlieb received his Ph.D. in international relations from Columbia University and has also taught at Brown, Yale, and NYU.
Contributors Max Abrahms, David Cole, Bruce Cronin, Stephen Flynn, F. Gregory Gause III, Rohan Gunaratna, Audrey Kurth Cronin, Walter Laqueur, Susan Martin, Gordon McCormick, Tamar Meisels, Asfandyar Mir, John Mueller, Brigitte Nacos, Julie Norman, James A. Piazza, Danielle Pletka, Michael Rubin, Zachary Shirkey, Mitch Silber, Alexander Spencer, Jessica Stern, Lorenzo Vidino, Karin von Hippel, John Yoo
