Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism : Conflicting Perspectives on Causes, Contexts, and Responses

Debate is an important part of the classroom experience. However, most debate-style readers do a disservice to students by selecting readings from disparate sources that end up talking past one another. Gottlieb’s Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism is different. Featuring paired pro-con pieces written specifically for this volume, Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism encourages students to actively grapple with the central debates and questions surrounding the subject of terrorism and counterterrorism. With topics ranging from the root causes of terrorism, the role of religion in terrorism, whether suicide terrorism is ever justified, whether the spread of democracy can help defeat terrorism, and what trade-offs, if any, should exist between security and civil liberties, Gottlieb’s outstanding cast of contributors compell students to wrestle with the conflicting perspectives that define the field. Gottlieb frames the complexity and sophistication of these issues with incisive chapter headnotes providing students with the requisite context and preparing them to read each argument critically, allowing them to understand the past, present, and future of terrorism and counterterrorism. Each of the selections has been thoroughly updated to account for recent world events, policy changes, and new scholarship.