Explaining Terrorism

by Martha Crenshaw

This volume comprises some of the key essays by Professor Crenshaw, from 1972 to the present-day, on the causes, processes and consequences of terrorism. Since the early 1970s, scholars and practitioners have tried to explain terrorism and to assess the effectiveness of government responses to the threat. From its beginnings in a small handful of analytical studies, the research field has expanded to thousands of entries, with an enormous spike following the 9/11 attacks. The field of terrorism studies is now impressive in terms of quantity, scope, and variety. Professor Crenshaw had studied terrorism since the late 1960s, well before it was topical, and this selection of her work represents the development of her thought over time in four This collection of essays by one of the pioneering thinkers in the field of terrorism studies will be essential reading for all students of political violence and terrorism, security studies and IR/politics in general.

Genres: Terrorism

284 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2010

Reviews

[Avani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clinical, easy-to-read look at terrorism and the motivations of terrorists. Very thorough, and looks at terrorism through three major frameworks, with plenty of case studies. A very good foundation for anyone interested in terrorism studies.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Profound, rigorous, detailed. All along while reading this book, I could not help but feel impressed by Martha Crenshaw. Who is this woman?

The book presents an honest approach to the study of a field which is so politically controversial. She is careful in her analyses, very thorough in explaining her approach and extremely detailed in looking at a problem from different perspectives. You can see that she is making a sustained and careful effort to leave nothing behind in order to make some fancy theories work. For instance, I was impressed by her ability to look critically at terrorist events and groups and arrive at different conclusions depending on the angle of analysis - political context, organisational developments or psychology of terrorists. She thus shows the way how one can arrive at different interpretations of an event depending on these lenses and information one has (or not) available. Thus, what you think may have been effective in combatting a terrorist organisation in one context, you will soon learn that same approach was ineffective in a different country at a different time.

She does not allow you to make easy conclusions. She keeps the complexity of the topic, despite the general desire to just and simply and fast understand how to deal with terrorist organisations with good outcomes. No easy answers are possible, and she certainly does not appear to be the person to lull one into thinking that it could be so.

[Rizwaan Sabir · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overall text that those wanting to take stock of the overall subject will find useful. (The book is made up of Crenshaw’s previously published articles, chapters, works, etc). The vast majority of case studies all pretty much centre pre-9/11 armed groups and this was a little disappointing. She has some interesting and important ideas and theses and there really needed to be an application of them to the post 9/11 environment and groups. Given the text was first published in 2011, there was certainly room to have included something far more up-to-date. She did mention 9/11, Afghanistan, and Iraq but this was all pretty much in the context of “coercive diplomacy”. So, whilst it’s an interesting and important body of work that makes up this book, Crenshaw needed to apply some of her ideas & thinking to the post-9/11 situation to see if and how they apply to transnational armed Muslim groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIL/ISIS.