Avoiding the Terrorist Trap

For more than 150 years, Nationalist, Populist, Marxist and Islamist terrorists have all been remarkably consistent and explicit about their aims: Provoke the State into over-reacting to the threat they pose, then take advantage of the divisions in society that result.
Faced with a major terrorist threat, States seem to reach instinctively for the most coercive tools in their arsenal and, in doing so, risk exacerbating the situation. This policy response seems to be driven in equal parts by a lack of understanding of the true nature of the threat, an exaggerated faith in the use of force, and a lack of faith that democratic values are sufficiently flexible to allow for an effective counter-terrorism response.
Drawing on a wealth of data from both historical and contemporary sources, Avoiding the Terrorist Trap addresses common misconceptions underpinning flawed counter-terrorist policies, identifies the core strategies that guide terrorist operations, consolidates the latest research on the underlying drivers of terrorist violence, and demonstrates how a comprehensive and coherent counter-terrorism strategy grounded in respect for human rights and the rule of law is the only truly effective approach to defeating terrorism.
Contents: IntroductionA Not-So-Secret Formula:Asymmetrical WarfareAttritionPropaganda by DeedThe Revolutionary PrototypeThe Concept of MartyrdomProvoking an OverreactionPolarizationBuilding LegitimacyThe Centrality of Popular SupportConclusionSocial Science and Violent Extremism:EmpathyDehumanizationBacklashSelf-ActualizationYouth BulgeBurn OutSocial NetworksSocializationFraming NarrativesPovertyRelative Deprivation and Social ExclusionPolitical OpportunityGovernment AggressionMicromobilizationPrecipitating IncidentsConclusionCountering Terrorism Within a Human Rights Framework:Terrorism and International LawDefining Terrorism in International LawTerrorism and International Human Rights LawNon-State Actors and Human RightsPutting Human Rights at the Heart of Counter-TerrorismCommunity EngagementCommunity-Oriented PolicingEarly Intervention ProgramsProscribing Hate Speech and Extremist OrganizationsSpecial Investigation TechniquesThe Right to PrivacyHuman Intelligence OperationsSurveillance OperationsInvestigative InterviewingThe Presumption of InnocenceHuman Rights Compliant interviewsTortureDetention RegimesThe Right to Liberty and Due ProcessThe Humane Treatment of PrisonersPrisoners of War and Enemy CombatantsDeradicalization ProgramsUsing ForceMaintaining Public OrderThe Right to LifeTargeted KillingConclusionFinal Thoughts
Readership: Policymakers and researchers developing counterterrorism tactics. Terrorism;Counter-terrorism;Counterterrorism;Human Rights0Key Features:Examines 150 years of terrorist literature to identify terrorist tactics common across all major terrorist groupsExplores the international legal regimes covering the major counter-terrorism tools from detention to the use of force and then compares the efficacy of these regimes to real world case studiesBlends historical case studies, social science insights and international jurisprudence in a unique multidisciplinary approach to what works and what does not in counter-terrorism