Terrorism and counter-terrorism represent enduringly and globally important phenomena, and the mutually shaping relationship between non-state terrorism and state counter-terrorism continues to influence world politics. Illusions of Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism brings together leading scholars in the field to analyse this relationship, and to do so in distinctive manner. The book sustainedly assesses the interaction of terrorism and counter-terrorism through drawing on a range of academic disciplines in dialogue with one another. It addresses the dynamics of counter-terrorism more interrogatively and concentratedly than is common in much of the scholarly literature, and it highlights a theme that is all too rarely considered in the field: namely, the shared and mutually-echoing failings and illusions involved in the politics of terrorism and counter-terrorism alike.
Chapters analyse post-9/11 counter-terrorism, the ongoing evolution of al-Qaida, the imperatives and challenges and global context of western counter-terrorist efforts, and the reasons why terrorist campaigns sometimes endure and sometimes come to an end. Candid and wide-ranging, Illusions of Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism offers rigorous and original argument on a subject of the highest significance.
Introduction: The Enduring Illusions of Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism ; 1. Al-Qaeda and the 9/11 Decade ; 2. Counter-Terrorism in the Post-9/11 Era: Successes, Failures, and Lessons Learned ; 3. What Should be the Limits of Western Counter-Terrorism Policy? ; 4. No Golden Age: The Deep Origins and Current Utility of Western Counter-Terrorism Policy ; 5. Secrets and Lies: Misinformation and Counter-Terrorism ; 6. How and Why Do Terrorist Campaigns End? ; 7. Why Terrorist Campaigns Do Not End: The Case of Contemporary Irish Dissident Republicanism ; 8. The Global Insurgency: Action and Reaction in Contemporary World Politics
