Member Reviews
Linda S, Librarian
THE FUTURE OF TERRORISM by Walter Laqueur with Christopher Wall deals with a very important subject on which the authors are extremely knowledgeable and have extensive background. Laqueur has written more than two dozen books and served for years as Chairman of the International Research Council for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. Wall is a cyber-security analyst and Navy instructor. In THE FUTURE OF TERRORISM, they set out to provide some historical context, referring to numerous events and groups like the IRA, Tamil rebels and Nazis, to name just a few of their examples. In fact, the text has three main parts which deal loosely with the history of terrorism, the new face of modern terrorism (especially in the US and Europe), and the future. As a result, the content is more wide-ranging than the subtitle ("ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Alt-Right") would indicate. However, Laqueur and Wall do analyze and note the potential for armed violence as a result of more race-hate rhetoric.
Written in a very academic tone, this text provides valuable insight for our students who may be particularly interested in the epilogue, "Terrorism under President Trump". There, the authors refer to general trends and note specific concerns such as attempts to fracture the EU and also Trump's relationship with Putin which has featured so much in the news of late. The authors conclude that without political pressure from the West, "Assad will remain a beacon for Islamic terrorists ... [who] will have large ample territory to build training camps and to plot international attacks." They also indicate that "abroad, Trump's inflammatory language and attempted policies like the Muslim ban are perfectly suited for sound bites used in propaganda videos by groups like Islamic state or al-Qaeda." THE FUTURE OF TERRORISM is a complex, detailed and thought-provoking work and could serve to inform Junior Themes on this subject.
Diane H, Reviewer
The Future of Terrorism includes a well-researched and comprehensive history of terrorism from antiquity through 2017. Its section on terrorism’s future is more divisive based as it is on the current political climate in the United States.
The book has three parts: terrorism in history, modern terrorism and the future of terrorism. It is interesting to learn that terrorism has been around forever. “Terrorism is not only a product of bad governance but also a manifestation of youthful idealism.” Obviously, both bad goverance and youthful idealism are not a new phenomenon.
Why is terrorism’s history relevant? Because the Islamic State (aka ISIS) is a hodgepodge of the best approaches from the history of terrorism.” Modern digital life has changed the way terrorist organizations recruit (through the web) and frighten the populace (YouTube beheadings). However, the goals and results remain the same then and now—overthrow and recreate a society more fair (at least to the groups to which the terrorists belong).
The Future of Terrorism is recommended to any reader interested in how insurrection has changed society from the French and Russian Revolutions to the modern middle east. However, Trump supporters will not appreciate the linking of him to alt-right terrorism and conspiracy theories even as left-leaning readers will be saying “duh” to something so obvious.
The book uses statistics to prove that the threat of terrorism is less than the threat of gun violence—at least in the United States. However, the preeminent threat is the overreaction to terrorism that threatens our nation’s freedoms and our mandate to accept the tired, hungry and huddled masses yearning to be free.
While the writing style of the Future of Terrorism is academic (think of a 1950s college history textbook), the information is valuable. 3 stars!
Thanks to the publisher, Thomas Dunne Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.
