Scripts of Terror: The Stories Terrorists Tell Themselves (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780197521892)

This book explores terrorism as a strategic choice-- one made carefully and deliberately by rational actors. Through an analysis of the terrorist groups of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, this book charts a series of different strategic 'scripts' at play in terrorist behavior, from survival, to efforts in mobilizing a supporter base, through to the grinding attrition of a long terrorist campaign.

The theme that runs through all the organizations is the unbridgeable gap between their strategic vision, and what actually unfolds. Regardless of which script terrorists follow, they often fall short of achieving their political ambitions. And yet, despite its frequent failure, the terrorist strategy is returned to time and again-- people continue to join such groups, and to commit mindless acts of violence.

Scripts of Terror explores the reasons behind this. It asks why, if terrorism is so rarely successful and so hard to pull off, its approach remains an appealing one. And it examines how terrorists formulate their strategies, and how they envisage achieving their ambitions through violence. Most importantly, it explores why they so often fail.

Author: Benedict Wilkinson
ISBN-10: 0197521894
ISBN-13: 9780197521892
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Language: English
Published: 04/01/2020
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.60w x 1.10d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 03/01/2021