Max Abrahms

Fall 2012 Syllabus

Terrorism and Counterterrorism

Office hours: Fri11:30-1:30

The purposeof this course is to critically examine the most important empirical and theoretical debates on terrorism and counterterrorism.This is the only book required to purchase: other readings can be accessed online.

1)Introductions

2)What is terrorism? Why is there still no universally accepted definition?What is the most useful definition? Why is cyber-terrorism a misnomer? How does terrorism relate to guerrilla warfare and insurgency?How is terrorism different than an attrition strategy? How many actors must terrorism involve? Why does it matter how terrorism is defined for academics and policymakers? How is al-Qaida different than say the Viet Cong?

  • Chapter 1.
  • Skim.

3)How did the nature of the terrorism threatchangein the late 1990s? Is the “New Terrorism” truly new?Does terrorism, as traditionally defined, even exist anymore?Is al-Qaida now even “newer?”

  • Chapter 1 debate from Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism

4)Are there “root causes” to terrorism? What is terrorism’s relationship to poverty, religion, and globalization?Why did international terrorism begin to rise in the late 1960s? Are terrorism datasets useful for answering these types of questions? Do you prefer case studies?What are the benefits and drawbacks of these two methodologies?

  • Chapter 2 debate from Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism

5)(CONTINUED FROM LAST CLASS)

Are there “root causes” to terrorism? What is terrorism’s relationship to poverty, religion, and globalization? Why did international terrorism begin to rise in the late 1960s? Are terrorism datasets useful for answering these types of questions? Do you prefer case studies? What are the benefits and drawbacks of these two methodologies?

  • Chapter 4 debate from Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism

6)Terrorism and Psychology

Are these people just nuts?

  • Chapter 5 of:
  • (lengthy, but at least skim)

7)What are the consequences of terrorism? How do target governments and their electorates typically respond to terrorism? Are there any exceptions? What is the impact of terrorism on communities that use it? Does terrorism work? If so, in what capacity?

8)(CONTINUED FROM LAST CLASS)

What are the consequences of terrorism? How do target governments and their electorates typically respond to terrorism? Are there any recent exceptions? What is the impact of terrorism on communities that use it? Does terrorism work? If so, in what capacity?

9)Is Nonviolence politically effective?

10)Movie/Battle of Algiers—No Homework

11)Movie/Battle of Algiers—No Homework

12)What do terrorists want?

13)(CONTINUED FROM LAST CLASS)

What do terrorists want?

14)Paper Assistance/Discussion

15)Suicide Terrorism

When did suicide terrorism begin? Why has it spread?What are the tactical advantages of suicide terrorism?Should suicide terrorism be treated as a distinct subset of terrorist behavior?Why is suicide terrorism so hard for political scientists to explain? Is “suicide” ever rational?

16)Terrorism and Nukes

Is nuclear terrorism a serious threat? How do scholars and policymakers rate the likelihood of nuclear terrorism? What evidence do they invoke to substantiate their views?Which evidence is the most and least compelling?If you heard that a nuclear terrorist attack happened in NYC, which group would you suspect as the perpetrators? Why?Which poses a greater risk, a dirty bomb or a nuclear weapon in the hands of terrorists? Why?How should we evaluate terrorism risk?

  • Chapter 6 debate from Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism

17)Terrorism and the Media

18)Terrorism and Democracy

What is the relationship between terrorism and regime type? From the perspective of the terrorist, whichaspects of democracies makethem good or bad targets?What is the relationship between security and civil liberties? Is democracy promotion wise for countering terrorism?If so, under what conditions?

  • Chapter 8 debate from Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism
  • Chapter 11 debate from Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism

19)(CONTINUED FROM LAST CLASS)

What is the relationship between terrorism and regime type? From the perspective of the terrorist, which aspects of democracies make them good or bad targets? What is the relationship between security and civil liberties? Is democracy promotion wise for countering terrorism? If so, under what conditions?

20)Outside Support

Do states still matter? Why?

21)How do terrorist groups end? Do different types of groups tend to end differently? How do you foresee al-Qaida and its affiliates going out of business? What are the counterterrorism implications?

22) Do decapitation strikes work?

23) What makes counterterrorism so difficult? What are the most common mistakes governments make in countering terrorism? What metrics should we use to measure counterterrorism success? Are governments overreacting to terrorism? Which is worse, doing too much or too little? What is the optimal counterterrorism response?

  • Chapter 7 debate from Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism

24) (CONTINUED FROM LAST CLASS)

What makes counterterrorism so difficult? What are the most common mistakes governments make in countering terrorism? What metrics should we use to measure counterterrorism success? Are governments overreacting to terrorism? Which is worse, doing too much or too little? What is the optimal counterterrorism response?

  • /

Your final grade in the course will consist of four parts:

1)Presentation (20%)

2)Class participation (30%)

3)Essay prospectus (10%)

4)Final Essay (40%)

Final Essay

Which country has responded the most intelligently to its terrorism threat? Or, which country has responded the worst? Why? You will be evaluated on creativity, persuasiveness, and the ability to back up your claims with information from the course.Other paper topics accepted if cleared in advance.

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