Combating Terrorism : Strategies of Ten Countries/edited by Yonah Alexander

Combating Terrorism : Strategies of Ten Countries/edited by Yonah Alexander. New Delhi, Manas, 2003, xii, 436 p., $50. ISBN 81-7049-150-9.

Contents: Introduction. I. North and South America: 1. United States/Philip C. Wilcox Jr. 2. Argentina/Roger W. Fontaine. 3. Peru/Alberto Bolivar. 4. Colombia/James Zackrison. II. Europe: 1. Spain/Antonio Remiro Brotons and Carlos Esposito. 2. United Kingdom/Terence Taylor. III. Middle East: 1. Israel/Shlomo Gazit. 2. Turkey/Gunduz S. Aktan and Ali M. Koknar. IV. Asia: 1. India/Ved Marwah. 2. Japan/Isao Itabashi and Masamichi Ogawara. Conclusion/Yonah Alexander. Notes. Select bibliography. Index.

"The Tragic Events of September 11, 2002 and the consequent "war on terrorism" have made the question of effective counter terrorism policy a growing public concern, not just in the United States but throughout the world. The essays in Combating Terrorism offer a unique overview and evaluation of the counter terrorism policies of ten countries: the United States, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Israel, Turkey, India and Japan. A post-September 11 assessment of current counter terrorism practices is given for each country.

"The essays address the same set of questions to allow for cross-national comparisons of strategies and an assessment of counter terrorism practices.

What is the governmental and public perception of the sources of terrorism?
How successful have government policies been in combating both domestic and international terrorism?
What factors influence a government’s willingness or ability to cooperate with other countries in combating terrorism?
To what degree are certain countries "natural hosts" of either terrorist groups or propensities that target western or closely allied interests?
To what degree are terrorist organizations mainly concerned about winning political participation in their target countries?
Which counter terrorism strategies work, and which do not?
What are the lessons of past experiences for future counter terrorism responses at the national, regional, and global levels?

"Yonah Alexander’s conclusion summarizes the lessons that may be learned from the experiences of the ten countries and discusses a list of best practices in counter terrorism.

"Combating Terrorism will be of interest to policymakers, scholars, and other individuals with professional responsibilities in the area of terrorism and security studies. Clear and accessible, this book will also provide the general reader valuable insight into the wide array of issues that face governments and convey possible solutions to one of the foremost threats to world peace." (jacket)

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