Terrorism and Counter Terrorism

Terrorism, in the contemporary study of International Relations and Security Studies is a congested area of analysis. This has resulted in a growing program of study to understand this phenomenon and its place in today’s international system. This course examines the principal issues associated with modern international terrorism and efforts to counter it. The objective of the course is to provide the student with a broad understanding of international terrorism, and to enhance the ability to engage knowledgeably in discussion and debate on the subject. The course considers a wide range of questions to provide students with a deeper understanding of the threat of terrorism today. Among the questions it examines are: - What is terrorism? - How has the threat of terrorism changed over time? - What motivates different types of terrorist groups? - When does terrorism succeed and fail? - How can terrorism best be fought? Specifically, the course will analyze both terrorism’s effectiveness as a means to achieve political change and the challenges faced by the liberal democratic state in responding to domestic and/or international terrorist campaigns.