More Freedom, Less Terror?

More Freedom, Less Terror? PDF Author: Dalia Dassa Kaye
Publisher: Rand Corporation
ISBN: 0833045083
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
In the wake of September 11 through the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a key tenet of U.S. foreign policy has been that promoting democracy in the Arab world is an important strategy in reducing terrorism; at the same time, some policymakers and analysts have held that democracy has nothing to do with terrorism -- or even that the growth of democracy in the Middle East may exacerbate political violence. However, scant empirical evidence links democracy to terrorism, positively or negatively. This study examines whether such links exist by exploring the effects of liberalization processes on political violence in Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Morocco from 1991 to 2006. Drawing on data on the incidence of terrorist violence, extensive fieldwork and interviews in each of the six countries, and primary and secondary literature from and about each country, Kaye et al. find that political reforms have, in some instances, helped to marginalize and undercut extremist actors, but that these effects tend to be short-lived if reforms fail to produce tangible results. Moreover, when regimes backtrack on even limited openings, the risks of instability and violence increase.

More Freedom, Less Terror?

More Freedom, Less Terror? PDF Author: Dalia Dassa Kaye
Publisher: Rand Corporation
ISBN: 0833045083
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 227

Get Book Here

Book Description
In the wake of September 11 through the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a key tenet of U.S. foreign policy has been that promoting democracy in the Arab world is an important strategy in reducing terrorism; at the same time, some policymakers and analysts have held that democracy has nothing to do with terrorism -- or even that the growth of democracy in the Middle East may exacerbate political violence. However, scant empirical evidence links democracy to terrorism, positively or negatively. This study examines whether such links exist by exploring the effects of liberalization processes on political violence in Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Morocco from 1991 to 2006. Drawing on data on the incidence of terrorist violence, extensive fieldwork and interviews in each of the six countries, and primary and secondary literature from and about each country, Kaye et al. find that political reforms have, in some instances, helped to marginalize and undercut extremist actors, but that these effects tend to be short-lived if reforms fail to produce tangible results. Moreover, when regimes backtrack on even limited openings, the risks of instability and violence increase.

The Case For Democracy

The Case For Democracy PDF Author: Natan Sharansky
Publisher: PublicAffairs
ISBN: 0786737069
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
Natan Sharansky believes that the truest expression of democracy is the ability to stand in the middle of a town square and express one's views without fear of imprisonment. He should know. A dissident in the USSR, Sharansky was jailed for nine years for challenging Soviet policies. During that time he reinforced his moral conviction that democracy is essential to both protecting human rights and maintaining global peace and security. Sharansky was catapulted onto the Israeli political stage in 1996. In the last eight years, he has served as a minister in four different Israeli cabinets, including a stint as Deputy Prime Minister, playing a key role in government decision making from the peace negotiations at Wye to the war against Palestinian terror. In his views, he has been as consistent as he has been stubborn: Tyranny, whether in the Soviet Union or the Middle East, must always be made to bow before democracy. Drawing on a lifetime of experience of democracy and its absence, Sharansky believes that only democracy can safeguard the well-being of societies. For Sharansky, when it comes to democracy, politics is not a matter of left and right, but right and wrong. This is a passionately argued book from a man who carries supreme moral authority to make the case he does here: that the spread of democracy everywhere is not only possible, but also essential to the survival of our civilization. His argument is sure to stir controversy on all sides; this is arguably the great issue of our times.

Freedom in the World 2004

Freedom in the World 2004 PDF Author: Aili Piano
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 9780742536456
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 756

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Book Description
Freedom in the World contains both comparative ratings and written narratives and is now the standard reference work for measuring the progress and decline in political rights and civil liberties on a global basis.

More Freedom, Less Terror?

More Freedom, Less Terror? PDF Author: Dalia Dassa Kaye
Publisher: Rand Corporation
ISBN: 0833046454
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
A key tenet of U.S. foreign policy has been that promoting democracy reduces terrorism; however, scant empirical evidence links democracy to terrorism, positively or negatively. This study explores the relationship between the two by examining the effects of liberalization processes on political violence in six Arab cases.

Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism

Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism PDF Author: Stuart Gottlieb
Publisher: CQ Press
ISBN: 1544350287
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 433

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Book Description
Debate is an important part of the classroom experience. However, most debate-style readers do a disservice to students by selecting readings from disparate sources that end up talking past one another. As a part of the Debating Politics series from CQ Press, this reader is different. Featuring paired pro/con pieces written specifically for this volume, Debating Terrorism encourages students to actively grapple with the central debates and questions surrounding the subject of terrorism and counterterrorism . With topics ranging from the root causes of terrorism, the role of religion in terrorism, whether suicide terrorism is ever justified, whether the spread of democracy can help defeat terrorism, and what trade-offs, if any, should exist between security and civil liberties, Gottlieb′s outstanding cast of contributors returns in this edition, compelling students to wrestle with the conflicting perspectives that define the field. Gottlieb frames the complexity and sophistication of these issues with incisive chapter headnotes providing students with the requisite context and preparing them to read each argument critically, allowing them to understand the past, present, and future of terrorism and counterterrorism. Each of the selections has been thoroughly updated to account for recent world events, policy changes, and new scholarship. New to the reader, and by reviewer request, is a chapter, "Can Global Institutions Make a Difference in Fighting Terrorism?"

Advancing Democracy Abroad

Advancing Democracy Abroad PDF Author: Michael McFaul
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 9781442201118
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
In Advancing Democracy Abroad, McFaul explains how democracy provides a more accountable system of government, greater economic prosperity, and better security compared with other systems of government. He then shows how Americans have benefited from the advance of democracy abroad in the past, and speculates about security, economic, and moral benefits for the United States from potential democratic gains around the world.

Psychology of Terrorism

Psychology of Terrorism PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
In compiling this annotated bibliography on the psychology of terrorism, the author has defined terrorism as "acts of violence intentionally perpetrated on civilian noncombatants with the goal of furthering some ideological, religious or political objective." The principal focus is on nonstate actors. The task was to identify and analyze the scientific and professional social science literature pertaining to the psychological and/or behavioral dimensions of terrorist behavior (not on victimization or effects). The objectives were to explore what questions pertaining to terrorist groups and behavior had been asked by social science researchers; to identify the main findings from that research; and attempt to distill and summarize them within a framework of operationally relevant questions. To identify the relevant social science literature, the author began by searching a series of major academic databases using a systematic, iterative keyword strategy, mapping, where possible, onto existing subject headings. The focus was on locating professional social science literature published in major books or in peer-reviewed journals. Searches were conducted of the following databases October 2003: Sociofile/Sociological Abstracts, Criminal Justice Abstracts (CJ Abstracts), Criminal Justice Periodical Index (CJPI), National Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts (NCJRS), PsycInfo, Medline, and Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS). Three types of annotations were provided for works in this bibliography: Author's Abstract -- this is the abstract of the work as provided (and often published) by the author; Editor's Annotation -- this is an annotation written by the editor of this bibliography; and Key Quote Summary -- this is an annotation composed of "key quotes" from the original work, edited to provide a cogent overview of its main points.

Terrorist Threats in North Africa from a NATO Perspective

Terrorist Threats in North Africa from a NATO Perspective PDF Author: J. Tomolya
Publisher: IOS Press
ISBN: 1614995877
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
According to the editors of this book, North Africa has become a hotbed of terrorist activity in recent years, as demonstrated by several events in the region. Representing, as it does, a potential threat to NATO's southern flank, this area can no longer be ignored, they say. This book presents the proceedings of the NATO Centre of Excellence, Defence Against Terrorism (COE-DAT) Advanced Research Workshop entitled 'The Terrorist Threat in North Africa from a NATO Perspective', held in Ankara, Turkey, in the November 2013. Subjects covered include the changing nature of North African terrorism; the rise of Al Qaeda in North Africa; financing terrorism in North Africa; the legal framework of military operations against terrorism in North Africa and the relationship between international terrorism and terrorism in North Africa, among others. Also included in the book is the keynote address given by Prof. Yonah Alexander of the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies and entitled 'Terrorism in North Africa and the Sahel: Threats and Responses' The book provides insights to further the understanding of terrorism in North Africa, and will be of interest to all those involved in the development of counterterrorism policies to combat this threat.

Peaceful Islamist Mobilization in the Muslim World

Peaceful Islamist Mobilization in the Muslim World PDF Author: Julie Chernov Hwang
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230100112
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 156

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Book Description
In Peaceful Islamist Mobilization in the Muslim World: What Went Right , Julie Chernov Hwang presents a compelling and innovative new theory and framework for examining the variation in Islamist mobilization strategies in Muslim Asia and the Middle East.

ETA's Terrorist Campaign

ETA's Terrorist Campaign PDF Author: Rafael Leonisio
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317329155
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
This book analyses the rise and decline of the Basque terrorist group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA, Basque Homeland and Freedom). ETA declared a unilateral ceasefire in November 2011, bringing to a close a campaign of political violence that started in the late 1960s. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, the overwhelming majority of secession supporters agreed that an independent Basque homeland would be realised through ‘ballots’ and not ‘bullets’. Providing an inter-disciplinary overview of radical Basque nationalism that pays special attention to the drivers for ETA’s decline, defeat and disbandment, this book includes chapters by historians, political scientists and sociologists who offer three important theoretical and empirical contributions to the literature on nationhood and security studies. Firstly the book re-assesses the military conflict that opposed ETA and the Spanish state, by paying special attention to tactical and strategic considerations as well as the counter-terrorist policy itself. Secondly it provides an original interpretation of the politics of fear which surrounded the process of victimization, as well as assessing the extent to which the issue of violence led to the polarisation of citizens. Thirdly the authors examine the historical narratives and rituals that contributed to the production and reproduction of identity binaries and memories of war. Arguing that the defeat of ETA must be contextualised within the strategic evolution of Basque nationalism, the declining resonance of the radical message and the effectiveness of the Spanish counter-terrorist effort, this book is essential reading for students and scholars working in the areas of European politics, nationalism and terrorism studies.