CRJ 744 Terrorism and Politics

Discusses the history of terrorism, especially since the French Revolution; its evolving definition and how it relates to state violence; and its protean contemporary forms. Examines topics including the attacks on the World Trade Center, Middle Eastern terrorism from the Palestinian Hamas movement and Israeli religious violence, to state terrorism in countries such as Iraq; right-wing terrorism in this country (Oklahoma City); the case of Shoko Asahara's fanatical Japanese group, Aum Shinrikyo; and the specific threat of terrorists using weapons of mass destruction. Develops a global perspective in raising comparative questions about terrorism.