No end to war: terrorism in the 21st century

Abstract

41-2449 HV6431 2002-15195 CIP Laqueur, Walter. No end to war: terrorism in the 21st century. Continuum Publishing, 2003. 288p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8264-1435-4, $24.95. Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2003dec CHOICE.

41-2449 HV6431 2002-15195 CIP Laqueur, Walter. No end to war: terrorism in the 21st century. Continuum Publishing, 2003. 288p bibl index afp ISBN 0-8264-1435-4, $24.95. Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2003dec CHOICE.

This is the latest of Laqueur's many authoritative books on political violence, all produced in the last three decades. In the aftermath of the cataclysmic attacks of September 11, 2001, Laqueur takes a fresh look at the phenomenon of terrorism and its different manifestations to offer answers to some key questions: What actions constitute terrorism? What is new about the new wave of terrorism as distinct from previous such actions? Why is the Muslim world the most potent crucible of terrorism? While the broad sweep of this book includes both Leftist and Rightist violence, its major focus is on Islamist terrorism, which is seen as the prime danger to the US because of its unrestrained goals and an international network capable of mass destruction. Beyond the US, Laqueur sees India, Central and South Asia, and Africa as future battlefields of Islamist terror. Laqueur does not offer a general theory of terrorism, but he expects religious and nationalist fanaticism to continue to trigger catastrophes, possibly with weapons of mass destruction. Although many of Laqueur's views are controversial, this book raises significant questions about the dangerous state of the human condition. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Public, academic, and professional collections.-R. H. Dekmejian, University of Southern California