Terrorism

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Thought provoking but heavy going - Rated
This book is very interesting and is a brief introduction that makes you want to go out and learn more. However it is written like a research paper and occasionally you do have to go back and reread sentences to get the ideas fully. It's size makes it perfect for reading on the tube or the bus, however it'll have to be a quiet tube or bus so you can understand it.

A Breath of Fresh Air: lucid and balanced. - Rated
Far better than most full-length books and collections on the subject of terrorism, this at once thoughtful and accessible slim volume does precisely what anyone thirsting for a basic grip on the subject would hope to find: from questions of what bthe label 'terrorism' actually means, to an exploration of the various kinds of actions and programmes that have been described as 'terrorism', and the question of responses - including the issue of possible tensions between counter-terrorism and democracy. Townshend addresses all this in in a scrupulously balanced way, and in a language that avoids jargon but does not 'talk down'. For those left wanting to explore further, a very good annotated 'further reading' section concludes the book. In sum, like so many of these Oxford 'Very Short Introductions': excellent.

Dr Gerd Nonneman
Lancaster University

To make you think...... - Rated
"Terrorism" - "terror" carried out by small groups - started, arguably, in the nineteenth century, in response to the terror perpetrated by states. Given the horrific acts carried out by states in the twentieth century it is not surprising that terrorism has also developed.

This short book reviews the history of terrorism and the different forms it has taken especially since the second world war.

It's detached and informative, a welcome antidote to the knee-jerk reactions of governments and press, and a chance to bring some perspective to what is going on in the world today. But it is short; it'll leave you wanting more - it is the role of Short Introductions to whet the appetitite.

To make you think...... - Rated
"Terrorism" - "terror" carried out by small groups - started, arguably, in the nineteenth century, in response to the terror perpetrated by states. Given the horrific acts carried out by states in the twentieth century it is not surprising that terrorism has also developed.

This short book reviews the history of terrorism and the different forms it has taken especially since the second world war.

It's detached and informative, a welcome antidote to the knee-jerk reactions of governments and press, and a chance to bring some perspective to what is going on in the world today. But it is short; it'll leave you wanting more - it is the role of Short Introductions to whet the appetitite.