PSCI243

Americans have paid closer attention to terrorism after the September 11, 2001 attacks. However, terrorism is neither new nor a distinctive threat to the United States. In fact, terrorist attacks have been commonplace since 1945. An overview of terrorism's evolution in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries is presented. Course is divided into four parts: the first provides a historical overview of terrorism and distinguishes it from other forms of political violence; the second compares and contrasts ethno-nationalists and religious terrorist organizations, showing that both groups, while informed by different mindsets, use terrorist tactics in an attempt to achieve clear political ends; the third examines the evolving strategic logic of suicide terrorism; the fourth shows how the forces of globalization are changing the scope and strategies terrorist groups employ.