Teach Yourself: Understanding Terrorism

by John Horgan

Know the issues behind this crucial topic

Never shying away from controversial or difficult questions, "Teach Yourself Understanding Terrorism" is a fascinating and thought-provoking read. It considers how we define terrorism ("What distinguishes terrorism from other types of warfare? Can a state engage in terrorism? Why should we 'understand' terrorism?") before turning its attention on individual terrorists, terrorist groups, and organizations.

Packed full of in-depth case studies, you will gain an insight into the root causes and catalysts, the recruitment patterns, and leading figures in organizations such as the Provisional IRA, Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, and the Tamil Tigers. Drawing on Dr. John Horgan's vast research into the psychological aspects of political violence, this book also focuses on the psychology of terrorism and analyzes the possible responses to this complex phenomenon.

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 20, 2009

About the author

JOHN HORGAN is a science journalist and Director of the Center for Science Writings at the Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey. A former senior writer at Scientific American (1986-1997), he has also written for The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, Slate, Discover, The London Times, The Times Literary Supplement, New Scientist, and other publications around the world. He blogs for the Center for Science Writings and for Bloggingheads.tv (see links at left).

His latest book is Rational Mysticism: Dispatches from the Border Between Science and Spirituality, published in hardcover by Houghton Mifflin in January 2003 and in paperback by Mariner Books in March 2004.