Christopher Blake - Policing Terrorism

Policing Terrorism — read online for free the complete book (whole text) full work

Below is the text of the book, divided by pages. System saving the place of the last page read, allows you to conveniently read the book "Policing Terrorism" online for free, without having to search again every time where you left off. Put a bookmark, and you can go to the page where you finished reading at any time.

Light

Font size:

↓

↑

Georgia Tahoma Arial Verdana

Reset

Interval:

↓

↑

Bookmark:

Make

1234567...62

Policing Matters

Policing
Terrorism

Policing Matters

Policing
Terrorism

Christopher Blake, Barrie Sheldon, Rachael Strzelecki and Peter Williams

Series editors
P A J Waddington
Martin Wright

Learning Matters
An imprint of SAGE Publications Ltd
1 Olivers Yard
55 City Road
London EC1Y 1SP

SAGE Publications Inc.
2455 Teller Road
Thousand Oaks, California 91320

SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd
B 1/I 1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area
Mathura Road
New Delhi 110 044

SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific Pte Ltd
33 Pekin Street #02-01
Far East Square
Singapore 048763

Editor: Julia Morris
Development editor: Jennifer Clark
Production controller: Chris Marke
Project management: Diana Chambers
Marketing manager: Zoe Seaton
Cover design: Toucan Designs
Typeset by: Kelly Winter
Printed by: MPG Books Group

Copyright 2012 Christopher Blake, Barrie Sheldon, Rachael Strzelecki and Peter Williams

First published in 2012

Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

Library of Congress Control Number available

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978 0 85725 518 1

Contents

Introduction to concepts of terrorism Barrie Sheldon

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

By the end of this chapter you should be able to:

• understand some of the historical perspectives of terrorism;
• provide some definitions relating to extremism and terrorism;
• analyse some of the sources and causes of terrorism;
• understand terrorist ideology and motivation;
• appreciate some of the implications of the move from the old to the new terrorism.

About this book

Each chapter provides a number of tasks that help to develop your knowledge and understanding of the subject matter and also give you ideas to develop themes for academic assignments. Access to the internet will be required for completion of tasks and a number of case studies are provided to link theory with practice.

This book provides you with a basic overview of terrorism and counter-terrorism measures with a focus on the United Kingdom (UK) and is an excellent resource for any student undertaking introductory terrorism modules at academic levels 4, 5 and 6. The internet provides a wide range of quality terrorism resources for students and it is recommended that some time is spent getting to know what is available.

PRACTICAL TASK

Go to the Useful websites section at the end of this chapter, where you will find a list of some of the terrorism websites that are available. Access the websites and find out what is available to you, looking particularly for links that provide access to reports and academic publications.

Many of the websites are based within the United States of America (USA) but will be very relevant to terrorism studies. The audacious attack by al-Qaeda on the twin towers of New York on 11 September 2001, which resulted in over 3,000 people losing their lives, saw the USA take the lead role in the current global war against terrorism.

We will direct every resource at our command every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war to the destruction and to the defeat of the global terror network.

(George W Bush, 2001)

Historical perspective

The problem of terrorism is not a new phenomenon and has been witnessed on a global basis throughout history, from antiquity, through the middle ages and onwards to the twenty-first century. Historical accounts of terrorism can be found in most countries and, when these are examined, there is evidence of many different causes of terrorism; issues that motivate terrorists have existed over the entire span of human history. Many of todays terrorists are still inspired by historical events and it is the connection between past and present that makes the study of the history of terrorism important in understanding modern-day terrorism (Mahan and Griset, 2008).

Early origins of terrorism

Examples of terrorist activity can be traced back well before the first century; however, we will start by examining three early renowned terrorist organisations: the Zealots, the Assassins and the Thuggees.

Zealots

The Zealots of Judea, also known as the Sicarii or dagger men, were opposed to the Roman occupation and took part in a revolt that lasted nearly 100 years from the time Herod became king in 37 BC. They were members of an organisation operating underground who had strong religious convictions and believed that they could not remain faithful to the true nature of Judaism while living as Roman subjects. The group carried out assassination attacks targeting Roman occupation forces and Jews who supported and collaborated with the Romans. As the Zealot revolt became more open they were finally trapped and members of the group committed mass suicide in Masada, Judea, in 74 AD.

Assassins

The Assassins of Persia (Iran) and Syria (10901275) were a breakaway group of Shiites called the Nizari Ismaili who used the tactic of assassination to target enemy leaders. They were one of the first groups to make systematic use of murder as a political weapon. Their ambition was to overthrow the existing Sunni order in Islam and to replace it with their own, to purify Islam. Because they had limited numbers, restricting the viability of open combat, they resorted to sending lone assassins to kill opposition leaders and then waited with their victim to be killed or captured (an act of martyrdom). This action caused considerable fear within the enemy population.

Thuggees

The Thuggees were an Indian secret society believed to have been responsible for killing tens of thousands of people over a number of centuries. It is not known exactly when they first appeared, but there is evidence they existed in the seventh century and were known to be very active in the thirteenth century. The Thuggees had deeply entrenched religious convictions and carried out their killings as a sacrifice to the goddess Kali, the Hindu goddess of creation, preservation and destruction. In this particular case the main audience for the terrorists was the goddess rather than the general public. Their activities and methods of killing were deemed to be acts of terrorism by going beyond the accepted norms that regulate violence.

Next page

1234567...62

Light

Font size:

↓

↑

Georgia Tahoma Arial Verdana

Reset

Interval:

↓

↑

Bookmark:

Make

Similar books «Policing Terrorism»

Look at similar books to Policing Terrorism. We have selected literature similar in name and meaning in the hope of providing readers with more options to find new, interesting, not yet read works.

Mr Brian Blakemore

Extremism, Counter-terrorism and Policing

Gary Armstrong

Policing the 2012 London Olympics: Legacy and Social Exclusion

Christopher Blake

Policing and Criminal Justice

P.A.J Waddington

What is Policing?

Christopher Blake

River of Cliffs: A Linville Gorge History

Christopher Baker-Beall

The European Unions Fight Against Terrorism: Discourse, Policies, Identity

Lee Jarvis

Critical Perspectives on Counter-Terrorism

Christopher C. Harmon

A Citizens Guide to Terrorism and Counterterrorism

Christopher Hewitt

Understanding Terrorism in America: From the Klan to al Qaeda

Christopher Lowen Agee

The Streets of San Francisco : Policing and the Creation of a Cosmopolitan Liberal Politics, 1950-1972.

Christopher Berry-Dee

Talking with Serial Killers. The Most Evil People in the World Tell Their Own Stories

Christopher Berry-Dee

Talking With Serial Killers 2. The Worlds Most Evil Killers Tell Their Stories

Discussion, reviews of the book Policing Terrorism and just readers' own opinions. Leave your comments, write what you think about the work, its meaning or the main characters. Specify what exactly you liked and what you didn't like, and why you think so.