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Inside Terrorism

by Bruce Hoffman (Columbia University Press). Rating: 4.5/5.

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Reviews from Amazon

Not too shabby

Hoffman does his best to not only define terrorism but provide timely information in an unbiased manner. This book is my textbook for my college Crime and Terrorism class. This has become an extremely useful tool and would recommend that it be read to better understand the psychology of terrorists and the concept of terrorism.

Rating: 4

Inside Terrorism

Inside Terrorism is perhaps the only book on the subject that covered so much. Though has space to update is require reading for the topic.

Rating: 5

Just as promised

I purchased this book for school and it came in great condition for a great price.

Rating: 5

Excellent introduction for experts but terrorism is a problem for citizens

This is an excellent book for understanding a particular type of terrorism -- extreme violence by radical groups like Al Qaeda, the PLO, white supremacists, Basque separatists, and others in which the purpose of violent attacks is to gain media attention as a way to advance a political agenda. This book is well respected in the intelligence community as a guide for understanding the phenomenon of terrorism.

Hoffman suggests terrorism is sometimes effective if the violence resonates with an aggrieved group, but he notes that the media effect is often mixed because most people are opposed to killing and destruction. And he makes a case that for most terrorist groups operate under a long term disadvantage. His thorough treatment covers a broad spectrum of groups while being fair and unbiased despite the pejorative term "terrorism". And he offers an intelligent exploration of this term itself.

My problem with Mr. Hoffman's analysis, however, is that he sees terrorism as violent politically-motivated crime by extremists seeking publicity. His perspective is that of a competent government official trying to solve a military or police problem. But I think the problem of terrorism is larger, more dangerous, in the sense that government can BECOME the terrorist when it tries to prevent terrorism, and fails to do so (curfews, friskings, detentions, wiretaps, etc).

Hoffman's book is an excellent guide for people who like the current arrangement and believe government is doing a good job in fighting its war on terrorism. It's an intelligent introduction to a complex subject for specialists. He deserves commendation for shedding light on one part of a complex problem.

Thomas W. Sulcer
author of Common Sense II: How to Prevent the Three Types of Terrorism (Amazon/Kindle)
free pdf if requested by email

Rating: 4

A FIne Overview

This is a well written and informative introduction to the world of terrorism. Due to the vastness and diversity of the subject it is difficult to really explore one facet of terrorism completely without making the work so long and detailed you lose your audience. In this book, the author doesn't delve too deeply into any one specific area but rather gives a good, concise overview of the recent history of terrorism and the groups who practice it. This is a great jumping off point for anyone interested in studying the topic more closely.

Rating: 4

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