Readings | Warlords, Terrorists, and Militias: Theorizing on Violent Non-State Actors | Political Science

Session 2 lecture notes (PDF)

Course readings.
SES #	TOPICS	READINGS
1	Introduction	Shultz, Richard H., and Andrea Dew. Insurgents, Terrorists and Militias: The Warriors of Contemporary Combat. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2006, chapters 1-3. ISBN: 9780231129824. [Preview in Google Books] Kegley, Charles, Jr., and Eugene R. Wittkopf. "Nonstate Actors in the International System." In World Politics: Trend and Transformation. 11th ed. Wadsworth Publishing, 2006, pp. 135-185. ISBN: 9780495187066.
2	Warlords	Wantchekon, Leonard. "The Paradox of "Warlord" Democracy: A Theoretical Investigation." American Political Science Review 98, no. 1 (2004): 17-33. Skarpedas, S. "Warlord Competition." Journal of Peace Research 39, no. 4 (2002): 435-46. Rich, Paul B., ed. "The Emergence and Significance of Warlordism in International Politics." Chapter 1 in Warlords in International Relations. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 1999. ISBN: 9780333775035. Chan, Stephen. "The Warlord and the Global Order." Chapter 9 in Warlords in International Relations. Edited by Paul B. Rich. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 1999. ISBN: 9780333775035. Thomas, Troy S., and Stephen D. Kiser. Lords of the Silk Route: Violent Non-State Actors in Central Asia. INSS Occasional Paper #43. Colorado Springs, CO: Institute for National Security Studies, U.S. Air Force Academy, May 2002. (PDF) Hills, Alice. "Warlords, Militia and Conflict in Contemporary Africa: A Re-examination of Terms." Small Wars and Insurgencies 8, no. 1 (1997): 35-51.
3	Terrorism	Laitin, David, and Alan B. Krueger. "Kto Kogo?: A Cross Country Study of the Origins and Targets of Terrorism." Chapter 5 in Terrorism, Economic Development and Political Openness. Edited by Philip Keefer and Norman Loayza. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780521887588. [Preview in Google Books] Abrahms, Max. "Why Terrorism Does Not Work." International Security 31, no. 2 (2006): 42-78. Hoffman, Bruce. Inside Terrorism. New York, NY: Colombia University Press, 1998, read chapters 1 and 2. ISBN: 9780231114684. Homer-Dixon, Thomas. "The Rise of Complex Terrorism." Foreign Policy 128 (2002).
4	Religion and terrorism	Rapoport, David C. "Fear and Trembling: Terrorism in Three Religious Traditions." American Political Science Review 78, no. 3 (1984): 658-677. Juergensmeyer, Mark. Terror in the Mind of God. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2000, pp. 3-15 and 119-243, read chapters 1 and 7-11. ISBN: 9780520223011. Berman, Paul. "The Philosopher of Islamic Terrorism." New York Times Magazine, March 23, 2003. Sageman, Marc. "The Origins of Jihad," and "The Evolution of Jihad." Chapters 1-2 in Understanding Terror Networks. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780812238082. Israeli, Raphael. "A Manual of Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorism." Terrorism and Political Violence 14, no. 4 (2002): 23-40.
5	Suicide terrorism	Latin, David, and Eli Berman. "Rational Martyrs vs. Hard Targets: Evidence on the Tactical Use of Suicide Attacks." In Suicide Bombing from an Interdisciplinary Perspective. Edited by Eva Meyersson Milgrom. To be submitted to Princeton University Press. (PDF) Crenshaw, Martha. "Explaining Suicide Terrorism: A Review Essay." Security Studies 16, no. 1 (2007): 133-162. Pape, Robert A. "The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism." American Political Science Review 97 (2003): 343-61. Ashworth, Scott, Joshua D. Clinton, Adam Meirowitz, and Kristopher W. Ramsay. "Design, Inference, and the Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism." American Political Science Review 102, no. 2 (2008): 269-273. Pape, Robert A. "Methods and Findings in the Study of Suicide Terrorism." American Political Science Review 102, no. 2 (2008): 275-277.
6	Suicide terrorism (cont.)	Search for International Terrorist Entities (SITE) Institute. "A Video Will of A Suicide Bomber from al-Qaeda in Iraq and His Operation on an American Checkpoint in al- Fallujah." July 21, 2005. Moghadam, Assaf. "Palestinian Suicide Terrorism in the Second Intifada: Motivations and Organizational Aspects." Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 26, no. 2 (2003): 65-92. Dolnik, Adam. "Die and Let Die: Exploring Links between Suicide Terrorism and Terrorist Use of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Weapons." Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 26, no. 1 (2003): 17-35. Bloom, Mia. "Palestinian Suicide Bombing: Public Support, Market Share and Outbidding." Political Science Quarterly 119, no. 1 (2004).
7	Terrorist strategies and networks	Kydd, Andrew, and Barbara Walter. "The Strategies of Terrorism." International Security 31, no. 1 (2006): 49-80. Sandler, Todd. "Collective Action and Transnational Terrorism." The World Economy 26, no. 6 (2003): 779-802. Search for International Terrorist Entities (SITE) Institute. "Suggestion to Join Virtual Terrorist Cell, Rather than Operating Alone." July 20, 2005. Post, Jerold M., Ehud Sprinzak, and Laurita M. Denny. "The Terrorists in Their Own Words: Interviews with 35 Incarcerated Middle Eastern Terrorists." Terrorism and Political Violence 15, no. 1 (2003): 171-184. (PDF - 1.2MB) Paz, Reuven. "Arab Volunteers Killed in Iraq: An Analysis." The Project for the Research of Islamist Movements, Occasional Papers 3, no. 1 (2005). (PDF) Sageman, Marc. "Mujahideen." Chapter 3 in Understanding Terror Networks. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780812238082. Also read pp. 137-174. Krebs, Valdis. "Mapping Networks of Terrorist Cells." Connections 24, no. 3 (2002): 43-52.
8	State-sponsored terrorism	Byman, Daniel. Deadly Dynamics: States that Sponsor Terrorism. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Read chapters 1-3 and 9. ISBN: 9780521839730.
9	Class presentations
10	Para-statal militias	Klare, Michael T. "The Deadly Connection: Paramilitary Bands, Small Arms Diffusion and State Failure." In When States Fail: Causes and Consequences. Edited by Robert Rotberg. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003, pp. 116-134. ISBN: 9780691116723. Levitt, Matthew A. "Hamas Social Welfare: In the Service of Terror." In The Making of a Terrorist: Recruitment, Training and Root Causes. Vol. 1: Recruitment. Edited by James J. F. Forest. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005. ISBN: 9780275985448. Amayreh, Khalid. "Hamas and al-Qaida: The Prospects for Radicalization in the Palestinian Occupied Territories." Conflicts Forum, October, 2007. Ranstorp, Magnus. "Hizbollah's Command Leadership: Its Structure, Decision-Making and Relationship with Iranian Clergy and Institutions." Terrorism and Political Violence 6, no. 3 (1994): 303-339. Wherey, Fredrick. "A Clash of Wills: Hizballah's Psychological Campaigns against Israel in South Lebanon." Small Wars and Insurgencies 13, no. 3 (2002): 53-74. Byman, Daniel. "Should Hezbollah Be Next?" Foreign Affairs 82, no. 6 (2003). Levitt, Matthew. "Hezbollah: A Case Study of Global Reach." Remarks at the International Policy Institute for Counterterrorism, September 8, 2003.
11	Private military firms	Singer, P. W. Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2007. Read chapters 2-6 and 15. ISBN: 9780801474361.
12	Countering violent non-state actors; conclusion	Powell, Robert. "Defending Against Terrorist Attacks with Limited Resources." American Political Science Review 101, no. 3 (2007): 527-541. Abrahms, Max. "What Terrorists Really Want: Terrorist Motives and Counterterrorism Strategy." International Security 32, no. 4 (2008): 78-105. ———. "Why Democracies Make Superior Counterterrorists." Security Studies 16, no. 2 (2007): 223-253. Mockaitis, Thomas R. "Winning Hearts and Minds in the 'War on Terrorism.'" Small Wars and Insurgencies 14, no. 1 (2003): 21-38. Crenshaw, Martha. "How Terrorism Declines." Terrorism and Political Violence 3, no. 1 (1991): 69-87. Byman, Daniel. "Combating State Sponsors of Terrorism." In Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century. Vol. 2. Edited by James J. F. Forest. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007. ISBN: 9780275990343.