The Routledge Handbook of Terrorism Research

The threat of terrorism by insurgent groups such as al Qaeda is at the top of many of the world's governments' national security concerns because of the frequency and lethality of their attacks. Even in a country such as Israel, after a long period of relative calm, a major bombing recently took place at a crowded Jerusalem bus stop, reminding nations of the ongoing severity of the threat. In response, the study of terrorism and counterterrorism continues apace and has become a major scholarly discipline at many universities. Almost every university features at least one course on terrorism, with many providing certificates in terrorism studies. Although an extensive literature has existed since the early 1970s, when terrorism was primarily a region-based threat, it grew to avalanche proportions of literally hundreds of books and thousands of articles published on these topics after Sept. 11, when al Qaeda transformed it into a threat of transnational proportion. The government agencies that conduct counterterrorism depend on the academic community to provide them fresh insights and analysis to better understand the worldwide terrorist threat and its triggers. How does one begin to make sense of this vast and ever growing subject? Readers are fortunate to have Alex Schmid’s "The Routledge Handbook of Terrorism Research." It captures many of the findings produced by the myriad studies on terrorism and counterterrorism and outlines them in an easy to follow chapter framework. It is a big book with a price tag to match, but its depth of detail merits its cost. Considered one of the world’s pre-eminent academic scholars on terrorism, Mr. Schmid is director of the Terrorism Research Initiative, which publishes the online journal Perspectives on Terrorism. In his long and varied career, he has served as director of the University of St. Andrews’ Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence as well as officer-in-charge at a United Nations