Terrorism: Opposing Viewpoints (2000 book)

Terrorism: Opposing Viewpoints is a book, in the Opposing Viewpoints series, presenting selections of contrasting viewpoints on four central questions about terrorism: whether it is a serious threat; what motivates it; whether it can be justified; and how the United States should respond to it. It was edited by Laura K. Egendorf.

It was published by Greenhaven Press (San Diego) in 2000 as a 203-page hardcover (ISBN 0-7377-0137-4) and paperback (ISBN 0-7377-0136-6).

Contents

Chapter	Viewpoint	Author	Notes
Why Consider Opposing Viewpoints?
Introduction
Chapter 1: Is Terrorism a Serious Threat?	1. Terrorism is a Serious Threat	Bruce Hoffman	Excerpt from "The Confluence of International and Domestic Trends in Terrorism," Terrorism and Political Violence, Summer 1997.
	2. The Threat of Terrorism Is Overstated	Larry C. Johnson	Excerpt from "The Fall of Terrorism," Security Management, April 1997.
	3. Weapons of Mass Destruction Pose a Terrorist Threat	Sam Nunn	From "The New Terror: Nutcakes with Nukes," New Perspectives Quarterly, Winter 1996.
	4. Weapons of Mass Destruction Do Not Pose a Terrorist Threat	Ehud Sprinzak	Reprint of "Terrorism: Real and Imagined," in The Washington Post, August 19, 1998.
	5. Terrorism Against Information Systems Is a Threat	Matthew G. Devost, Brian K. Houghton, and Neil Allen Pollard	Excerpt from "Information Terrorism: Political Violence in the Information Age," Terrorism and Political Violence, Spring 1997.
	6. The Threat of Information Terrorism Has Been Overstated	William Church, interviewed by John Borland	Excerpt from "Analyzing the Threat of Cyberterrorism," TechWeb, September 23, 1998.
Chapter 2: What Motivates Terrorists?	1. Religious Fanaticism Motivates Terrorists	Magnus Ranstorp	Excerpt from "Terrorism in the Name of Religion," Journal of International Affairs.
	2. Postwar Developments Motivate Terrorists	Joseba Zulaika and William A. Douglass	Excerpt from Terror and Taboo: The Follies, Fables, and Faces of Terrorism (Routledge, 1996, hardcover, ISBN 0-415-91758-1; paperback, ISBN 0-415-91759-X).
	3. Democracy Encourages Terrorism	David C. Rapoport	Reprint of "Fertile Ground for Terrorism," San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 1995.
	4. Economic Distress Motivates Terrorists	Allen Hammond	Reprint of "Terrorism's Roots," The Christian Science Monitor, October 7, 1998. The article was adapted from Which World? Scenarios for the 21st Century (Island Press, 1998, hardcover, ISBN 1-55963-575-4; Shearwater Books, 2000, paperback, ISBN 1-55963-576-2).
	5. Israeli Actions Motivate Middle East Terrorists	Ehud Sprinzak	Reprint of "Learning to Live with Hamas," The Washington Post National Weekly Edition October 27, 1997.
	6. Palestinian Leaders Motivate Middle East Terrorists	David Bar-Illan	Excerpt from "The Wages of Oslo", Commentary, May 1996.
	7. A Combination of Factors Motivates Terrorists	Terrorism Research Center	Excerpt from "The Basics of Terrorism," MediaLink, May 8, 2003.
Chapter 3: Can Terrorism Be Justified?	1. Resistance to Tyranny Justifies Violence Against the U.S. Government	Martin Lindstedt	Reprint of "UnCommon Sense", The Southwestern Missouri Libertarian, July/August 1995.
	2. Violence Against the Government Is Not Justified	Bill Clinton	Excerpt from his "commencement speech at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, May 5, 1995.
	3. Resistance to British Rule Justifies Bombings in Northern Ireland	Mark O'Connell	Reprint of "Noraid's Galvin Has Doubts on RIRA," The Sunday Business Post, September 13, 1998.
	4. Bombings in Northern Ireland Cannot be Justified	Andersonstown News	Reprint of "Stand Down Now, for All Our Sakes," editorial, Andersonstown News, August 22, 1998.
	5. American Policies in the Middle East Justify Islamic Terrorism	Osama Bin Ladin, interviewed by John Miller	Excerpt from "Talking with Terror's Banker," ABC News transcript, May 1998.
	6. Israeli Occupation of Palestine Justifies Islamic Terrorism	Nida'ul Islam	Excerpt from "Palestine: History, Case, and Solution," editorial, Nida'ul Islam, January/February 1996.
	7. The Islamic Faith Does Not Condone Terrorism	Seifeldin Ashmawy	Excerpt from Ashmawy's testimony before the United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, March 19, 1996.
Chapter 4: How Should the United States Respond to Terrorism?	1. Tougher Aviation Security Measures Will Help Reduce Terrorism	Keith O. Fultz	Excerpt from "Status of Aviation Security Efforts with a Focus on the National Safe Skies Alliance and Passenger Profiling Criteria," Fultz's testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Aviation, May 14, 1998.
	2. Tougher Aviation Security Measures Will Not Reduce Terrorism	Robert W. Hahn	Excerpt from "Cost of Antiterrorist Rhetoric," Regulation, vol. 19, no. 4, 1996.
	3. The United States Should Retaliate Against Terrorist Groups	Holger Jensen	Reprint of "United States Should Take Cue from Terrorists Themselves," Rocky Mountain News, August 25, 1998.
	4. Retaliation Efforts Against Terrorists Are Fruitless	Raymond Close	Reprint of "How Not to Fight Terrorism," The Washington Post National Weekly Edition, September 7, 1998.
	5. Expanding the FBI's Powers Is a Necessary Response to Terrorism	Louis J. Freeh	Reprint of "What Can Be Done About Terrorism?," USA Today magazine, January 1996.
	6. Counterterrorism Legislation Is a Dangerous Expansion of Governmental Powers	Jeffrey Rosen	From "Shell Game," The New Republic, May 13, 1996.
Terrorism: A Look at Three Key Areas			Brief overview of terrorism in the Middle East, Northern Ireland, and the United States.
For Further Discussion
Organizations to Contact
Bibliography of Books
Index

External links

• Terrorism at BookRags.com.