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John Brady Kiesling, Greek Urban Warriors: Resistance & Terrorism 1967-2014. Athens: Lycabettus Press. 2014. Pp. xx + 413. Paper euro30.
Left-wing terrorism in Greece was one of the most enduring in Western Europe. John Brady Kiesling offers a meticulous study of its emergence and decline between 1967 and 2014. He explores the activity of all left-wing terrorist groups that were active during those years. His comprehensive account includes the notorious 17N (Revolutionary Organization 17 November) and ELA (EnavaatatiKoc; AaÏKÔc; Aywvaç, Revolutionary Popular Struggle) but also ones that were short-lived, such as LEP (AaÏKr| EnavaataTiKr| npwroßouAia, Revolutionary Popular Initiative).
Kiesling analyzes the attacks of the terrorist groups in question, including arson or attacks against specific individuals. He also scrutinizes the ways in which those terrorists secured the financial means needed to operate, as well as the payroll of 17N, exploring, for instance, the inflow of wealth due to the 1991 Aigaleo Post Office robbery proceeds and how these were shared among the group members (227-228). This was, according to the author, "the largest robbery in Greek history," as the terrorists got an amount then worth $1.6 million (228). Kiesling also refers to the ideological background of the terrorist groups in question, especially the undiluted nationalism of 17N. In this vein, he examines the statement that 17N made in 1994 that it would kill "members of the Turkish 'political-military complex' until the occupation army left Cyprus" (256-257, 262).
In addressing these themes, he delves into the competition among differing leftwing terrorist groups, especially the bitter antagonism between 17N and ELA. Kiesling sheds light on the varying approaches of 17N and ELA towards the assassination of individuals. While 17N pursued such tactics from its inception until its decline, ELA largely avoided them, although some of its members were in favor of deadly attacks. Moreover, Kiesling carefully maneuvers through the conflicting class analyses that the diverse left-wing terrorist groups in Greece employed (143). Through this examination, he establishes that left-wing terrorism in Greece was far from uniform.
Kiesling's meticulous scrutiny of the violent attacks...