In recent years, senior policy officials have highlighted increased signs of convergence between terrorism and unconventional (CBRN) weapons. Terrorism now involves technologies available to anyone, anywhere, anytime, deployed through innovative solutions. This indicates a new and more complex global security environment with increasing risks of terrorists trying to acquire and deploy a CBRN (Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear) attack. This book addresses the critical importance of understanding innovation and decision-making between terrorist groups and unconventional weapons, and the difficulty in pinpointing what factors may drive violence escalation. It also underscores the necessity to understand the complex interaction between terrorist group dynamics and decision-making behaviour in relation to old and new technologies. Unconventional Weapons and International Terrorism seeks to identify a set of early warnings and critical indicators for possible future terrorist efforts to acquire and utilize unconventional CBRN weapons as a means to pursue their goals. It also discusses the challenge for intelligence analysis in handling threat convergence in the context of globalisation. The book will be of great interest to students of terrorism studies, counter-terrorism, nuclear proliferation, security studies and IR in general.

Transnational terrorism is the central security challenge of the Post Cold War World, the defining moments of which were 9/11 in New York and 26/11 in Mumbai. Just as the United States carried out a comprehensive review of counter terrorism threats and capabilities immediately after the deadly multiple strikes in September 2001, India has undertaken an appraisal of transnational terrorism over the past two years and has commenced a process of transformation of the internal security establishment post Mumbai. Keeping in view the significance of the issue to Indian security, USI had undertaken a study focused on “National Security –Countering Transnational Terrorism,” this year, organizing a series of seminars, lectures and studies on the subject. This book is a result of the study carried out by USI and has covered the entire range of the phenomenon examining geo political, regional and internal security facets to suggest strategies for security cooperation, capacity building and societal responses.

Some of the main trends in current international terrorism are: Individuals emerge who do not work for any established terrorist organization and are not sponsored by any state. There is a growing lethality and tendency towards indiscriminate attacks in public places. Concern over terrorist use of information technology for purposes of communication, coordination and propaganda is increasing. There is a tendency, in some instances, to deny responsibility or less frequently claim responsibility for attacks. Trained people are planted close to their targets for some time, even though amateurs are at times involved. In addition, the attack is launched on the territory of a third party with no or little connection to the dispute in question. Religion is an increasingly important motivation of terrorism in the 1990s, instead of ideological motivations like Marxism. A third of all terrorist groups that are currently active are deemed to be religiously motivated. Ethnic separatism accounted for about 37 percent of all international terrorist acts in the mid-1990s. In some cases terrorism and crime are linked as a method to obtain funds. A more recent trend points to an increase in suicide bombings, especially in the case of Palestinian groups and Chechnyan rebels. They are often viewed as martyrdom operations, and terror groups realize that it is difficult to prevent suicide attacks. In the wake of the September 11 incidents it has been stated that this may well be an attractive model for future terrorism. Some of the characteristics of contemporary terrorism are of course likely to continue in the future, for example less restraint, less centralized organization and individuals acting on their own. Similarly, the dominance of religious and ethnic motives, combined with nationalism, seem set to continue. Thus, future trend analysis largely seems to focus on new weapons and new technology, as well as on diversification of targets. The current focus on al-Qaida often neglects the fact that there are many other groups who are also involved in international terror, whether they have links with al-Qaida or not. It is clear that the September 11 attacks in the US have set a precedent for other al-Qaida operatives and for other terrorist organizations. The demonstrative effect of the September 11 incidents and the increasing trend towards suicide bombings, often viewed as martyrdom operations by the perpetrators, may be some of the most dangerous threats currently posed by international terrorism. In this sense international terrorism has certainly become more "transnational" in nature, with seemingly greater cooperation among certain groups, the wide geographical scope of operations linked to al-Qaida, and the concept of a global jihad, with the US as the prime target.

What do we really know about the contributing causes of terrorism? Are all forms of terrorism created equal, or are there important differences in terrorisms that one must know about to customize effective counter-strategies? Does poverty cause terrorism? This book talks about the basic human ingredients that combust to produce violent extremism.

This textbook is a comprehensive introduction to global terrorism helping students to understand the history, politics, ideologies and strategies of both contemporary and older terrorist groups. Written in a clear and accessible style, each chapter explains a different aspect of terrorism and illustrates this with a wide variety of case studies from across the world. Topics covered include: * definitions and typology of terrorism * classifications of groups, weapons and techniques * religious terrorism * ethnic disputes * left wing and right wing extremism * state-sponsored terrorism * techniques for countering terrorism * future development of terrorist activity Case studies include: * Terror in the French Revolution * The Zealots * Irish Republicanism * The Italian Red Brigades * American militias * Columbia * Ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina * SriLanka * Al-Qeada . PLO The unique combination of a genuinely historical focus and truly global coverage make this the ideal introductory textbook for anyone studying terrorism or for the general reader with an interest in the key issue facing 21st Century society.

An international manual is like a world cruise: a once-in-a-lifetime experience. All the more reason to consider carefully whether it is necessary. This can hardly be the case if previous research in the selected field has already been the subject of an earlier review-or even several competing surveys. On the other hand, more thorough study is necessary if the intensity and scope of research are increasing without comprehensive assessments. That was the situation in Western societies when work began on this project in the summer of 1998. It was then, too, that the challenges emerged: any manual, espe cially an international one, is a very special type of text, which is anything but routine. It calls for a special effort: the "state of the art" has to be documented for selected subject areas, and its presentation made as compelling as possible. The editors were delighted, therefore, by the cooperation and commitment shown by the eighty-one contributors from ten countries who were recruited to write on the sixty-two different topics, by the con structive way in which any requests for changes were dealt with, and by the patient re sponse to our many queries. This volume is the result of a long process. It began with the first drafts outlining the structure of the work, which were submitted to various distinguished colleagues. Friedheim Neidhardt of Berlin, Gertrud Nunner-Winkler of Munich, and Roland Eckert of Trier, to name only a few, supplied valuable comments at this stage.

The proliferation of chemical, biologial and nuclear weapons is now the single most serious security concern for governments around the world. This text compares how organisations shape the way leaders intend to employ these armaments.