The Chinese University of Hong Kong Master of Social Science in Global Political Economy Programme

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1 The Chinese University of Hong Kong Master of Social Science in Global Political Economy Programme GPEC 5421 Terrorism and Counterterrorism Period 4, 2014 Course Outline Instructor: Seanon Wong Tuesday 6:45 9:30pm WMY 405 Consultation hours: by appointment Course Description This course is designed for students interested in the subject of terrorism and counterterrorism. Students learn primarily through reading, analyzing and critiquing some of the most cutting-edge publications in the literature. The course begins by asking two basic yet all-important questions: what is terrorism, and how do we study it? Then, in Part I, we explore the causes of terrorism through six conceptually distinct approaches: 1) strategic; 2) socio-organizational; 3) ideological and cultural; 4) international and societal; 5) psychological; and 6) critical. Understanding these approaches is crucial because they often imply rather different (and sometimes contradictory) policies for counterterrorism. In Part II, we engage in some of the most heated debates among policymakers and scholars. These debates range from the normative (e.g. can terrorism ever be justified?) to the empirical (e.g. is the threat of terrorism being overstated?). Course Assessment 40% Participation: To take advantage of the small class size (and since this is a postgraduate-level course), students are expected to learn from each other through lively discussions, debates and critiques of the readings, and the ideas of the instructor and other students (in a respectful manner, of course). Remember: mere presence in class is not participation. 30% Literature review and discussion leadership: Students will each prepare one literature review in preparation for class discussion (on Mar 25, Apr 8 and 15). Assignment of dates will be made in the first and second meetings of the course. A review should be no longer than 1,500 words. It should contain a brief summary of the week s required readings, how they speak and relate to each other, followed by a critique of their arguments, and 2-3 questions. These questions should be analytical and critical (e.g. Author X argues that poverty is the root cause of terrorism. But how can we account for the fact that most of the perpetrators on 9/11 were relatively well-to-do? ), not factual (e.g. When was Osama bin Laden killed? ). The review 1

2 should be circulated through elearning at least 24 hours before class (i.e. Mon 6:45pm). This is to ensure that the instructor and other students have sufficient time to read, digest and prepare their responses. In class, students should explain the content of their review (in no more than 10 minutes), and facilitate discussion along with the instructor. 30% Debate presentation: In Part II (Apr 22 and 29), students will each present one of the following debates in Stuart Gottlieb (ed.) Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Conflicting Perspectives on Causes, Contexts, and Responses. CQ Press. 2 nd ed. Can terrorism ever be justified? (Ch. 3) Is suicide terrorism and effective tactic? (Ch. 5) Is nuclear terrorism a real threat? (Ch. 6) Do we need bombs over bridges? (Ch. 7) Can spreading democracy help defeat terrorism? (Ch. 8) Can international organizations make a difference in fighting terrorism? (Ch. 9) Is an outright ban the best way to eliminate or constrain torture? (Ch. 10) Does providing security require a trade-off with civil liberties? (Ch. 11) Is the threat of terrorism being overstated? (Ch. 12) Presentations should detail the arguments put forth by both sides of the debate. Students are expected to take a stance, and more importantly, explain their underlying reasons and provide supporting evidence. They are strongly encouraged to conduct additional bibliographic research to bolster their argument. Presentations should not exceed 30 minutes, followed by 5-10 minutes of Q&A. The use of PowerPoint is optional. Students should the instructor their top three preferences of debates by Apr 1 (Tues). Topics will be assigned on a first-come-first-served basis. Course Schedule and Readings Those marked with a * are required readings, while the rest are recommended only. Students are expected to complete all required readings before class. They are available for download on elearning. Mar 11 Introduction and overview Mar 18 What is terrorism? * Hoffman, Bruce Defining Terrorism. In Inside Terrorism, Columbia University Press. 2

3 Weinberg, Leonard, Ami Pedahzur, and Sivan Hirsh-Hoefler The Challenges of Conceptualizing Terrorism. Terrorism and Political Violence 16 (4): Hutchinson, Martha Crenshaw The Concept of Revolutionary Terrorism. The Journal of Conflict Resolution 16 (3): Jaggar, Alison M What Is Terrorism, Why Is It Wrong, and Could It Ever Be Morally Permissible? Journal of Social Philosophy 36 (2) Schmid, Alex P., and A.J. Jongman Political Terrorism: A New Guide to Actors, Authors, Concepts, Data Bases, Theories, and Literature. 2 nd ed. Transaction Publishers. Wilkinson, Paul Can A State Be Terrorist? International Affairs 57 (3) How do we study it? * Crenshaw, Martha The Causes of Terrorism. Comparative Politics 13 (4): Crenshaw, Martha, ed Thoughts on Relating Terrorism to Historical Contexts. In Terrorism in Context, Pennsylvania State University Press. Chomsky, Noam The United States Is a Leading Terrorist State: An Interview with Noam Chomsky by David Barsamian. Monthly Review 53, No. 6. Young, Joseph K., and Michael G. Findley Promise and Pitfalls of Terrorism Research. International Studies Review 13 (3): Sandler, Todd, and Walter Enders Applying Analytical Methods to Study Terrorism. International Studies Perspectives 8 (3): LaFree, Gary, and Laura Dugan Introducing the Global Terrorism Database. Terrorism and Political Violence 19 (2): Sandler, Todd The Past and Future of Terrorism Research, Revista de Economía Aplicada 17 (50) Mar 25 Strategic PART I: CAUSES OF TERRORISM * Kydd, Andrew H., and Barbara F. Walter The Strategies of Terrorism. International Security 31 (1): * Crenshaw, Martha The Logic of Terrorism: Terrorist Behavior as a Product of Strategic Choice. In Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind, ed. Walter Reich, Woodrow Wilson Center Press. Pape, Robert A The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism. The American Political Science Review 97 (3): Abrahms, Max Why Terrorism Does Not Work. International Security 31 (2): Rose, William, Rysia Murphy, and Max Abrahms Does Terrorism Ever Work? The 2004 Madrid Train Bombings. International Security 32 (1):

4 Lake, David A Rational Extremism: Understanding Terrorism in the Twenty- First Century. Dialogue IO 1 (1): O Rourke, Lindsey A What s Special About Female Suicide Terrorism? Security Studies 18 (4): Crenshaw, Martha Explaining Suicide Terrorism: A Review Essay. Security Studies 16 (1): Clauset, Aaron, Lindsay Heger, Maxwell Young, and Kristian Skrede Gleditsch The Strategic Calculus of Terrorism: Substitution and Competition in the Israel-Palestine Conflict. Cooperation and Conflict 45 (1) Gaibulloev, Khusrav, and Todd Sandler Hostage Taking; Determinants of Terrorist Logistical and Negotiation Success. Journal of Peace Research 46 (6) Socio-organizational * Crenshaw, Martha Theories of Terrorism: Instrumental and Organizational Approaches. In Inside Terrorist Organizations, ed. David C. Rapoport, nd ed. Routledge. * Abrahms, Max What Terrorists Really Want: Terrorist Motives and Counterterrorism Strategy. International Security 32 (4): Pearlman, Wendy Spoiling Inside and Out: Internal Political Contestation and the Middle East Peace Process. International Security 33 (3): Bloom, Mia M Palestinian Suicide Bombing: Public Support, Market Share, and Outbidding. Political Science Quarterly 119 (1): Crenshaw, Martha An Organizational Approach to the Analysis of Political Terrorism." Orbis 29 (3) Asal, Victor, and R. Karl Rethemeyer The Nature of the Beast: Organizational Structures and the Lethality of Terrorist Attacks. Journal of Politics 70 (2): Chenoweth, Erica, Nicholas Miller, Elizabeth McClellan, Hillel Frisch, Paul Staniland, and Max Abrahms What Makes Terrorists Tick. International Security 33 (4): McCormick, Gordon Terrorist Decision Making. Annual Review of Political Science Apr 1 No class Apr 8 Ideological and cultural * Gottlieb, Stuart Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Conflicting Perspectives on Causes, Contexts, and Responses. CQ Press. Ch. 4. 4

5 * Moghadam, Assaf Motives for Martyrdom: Al-Qaida, Salafi Jihad, and the Spread of Suicide Attacks. International Security 33 (3): Piazza, James A Is Islamist Terrorism More Dangerous?: An Empirical Study of Group Ideology, Organization, and Goal Structure. Terrorism and Political Violence 21 (1): Ron, James Ideology in Context: Explaining Sendero Luminoso s Tactical Escalation. Journal of Peace Research 38 (5): Gottlieb, Stuart Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Conflicting Perspectives on Causes, Contexts, and Responses. CQ Press. Ch. 1. Hafez, Mohammed Rationality, Culture, and Structure in the Making of Suicide Bombers: A Preliminary Theoretical Synthesis and Illustrative Case Study. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 29 (2): Iannaccone, Laurence R., and Eli Berman Religious Extremism: The Good, the Bad, and the Deadly. Public Choice Abrahms, Max Al Qaeda s Scorecard: A Progress Report on Al Qaeda s Objectives. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism Sageman, Marc The Next Generation of Terror. Foreign Policy, February 19. Hoffman, Bruce American Jihad. The National Interest, June. Byman, Daniel, and Christine Fair The Case for Calling Them Nitwits. The Atlantic Monthly. August. Kaufman, Stuart J Narratives and Symbols in Violent Mobilization: The Palestinian-Israeli Case. Security Studies Kaufman, Stuart J Symbolic Politics or Rational Choice? Testing Theories of Extreme Ethnic Violence. International Security 30 (4) Stern, Jessica Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill. New York: Harper Collins. Juergensmeyer, Mark Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence. 2 nd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press. Rapoport, David C Fear and Trembling: Terrorism in Three Religious Traditions. American Political Science Review 78 (3) International and societal * Gottlieb, Stuart Debating Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Conflicting Perspectives on Causes, Contexts, and Responses. CQ Press. Ch. 2 * Thayer, Bradley A., and Valerie M. Hudson Sex and the Shaheed: Insights from the Life Sciences on Islamic Suicide Terrorism. International Security 34 (4): Ross, Jeffrey Ian Structural Causes of Oppositional Political Terrorism: Towards a Causal Model. Journal of Peace Research 30 (3): Piazza, James A Incubators of Terror: Do Failed and Failing States Promote Transnational Terrorism? International Studies Quarterly 52 (3):

6 Horowitz, Michael C Nonstate Actors and the Diffusion of Innovations: The Case of Suicide Terrorism. International Organization 64 (1): Piazza, James A A Supply-Side View of Suicide Terrorism: A Cross-National Study. The Journal of Politics 70 (1): Wade, Sara Jackson, and Dan Reiter Does Democracy Matter? Regime Type and Suicide Terrorism. The Journal of Conflict Resolution 51 (2): Li, Quan Does Democracy Promote or Reduce Transnational Terrorist Incidents? Journal of Conflict Resolution 49 (2): Shughart, William F. II An Analytical History Terrorism. Public Choice 128: Sobek, David, and Alex Braithwaite Victim of Success: American Dominance and Terrorism. Conflict Management and Peace Science 22 (2): Mousseau, Michael Market Civilization and its Clash with Terror. International Security 27 (3) Abadie, Alberto Poverty, Political Freedom, and the Roots of Terrorism. American Economic Review Piazza, James A Rooted in Poverty? Terrorism, Poor Economic Development, and Social Cleavages. Terrorism and Political Violence Newman, Edward Exploring the Root Causes of Terrorism. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism Burgoon, Brian On Welfare and Terror: Social Welfare Policies and Political- Economic Roots of Terrorism. Journal of Conflict Resolution 50 (2) Wade, Sara Jackson, and Dan Reiter Does Democracy Matter? Regime Type and Suicide Terrorism. The Journal of Conflict Resolution 51 (2): Apr 15 Psychological * Post, Jerrold M Terrorist Psycho-logic: Terrorist Behavior as a Product of Psychological Forces. In Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind, ed. Walter Reich, Woodrow Wilson Center Press. * Bandura, Albert Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement. In Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind, ed. Walter Reich, Woodrow Wilson Center Press. Victoroff, Jeff The Mind of the Terrorist: A Review and Critique of Psychological Approaches. Journal of Conflict Resolution 49 (1): Kruglanski, Arie W., Xiaoyan Chen, Mark Dechesne, Shira Fishman, and Edward Orehek Fully Committed: Suicide Bombers Motivation and the Quest for Personal Significance. Political Psychology 30 (3): Smith, Allison G The Implicit Motives of Terrorist Groups: How the Needs for Affiliation and Power Translate into Death and Destruction. Political Psychology 29 (1)

7 Crenshaw, Martha The Psychology of Terrorism: An Agenda for the Twenty First Century. Political Psychology 20 (2) Horgan, John The Psychology of Terrorism. London: Frank Cass. Post, Jerrold M When Hatred is Bred in the Bone : The Social Psychology of Terrorism. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Argo, Nichole Why Fight? Examining Self-Interested versus Communally- Oriented Motivations in Palestinian Resistance and Rebellion. Security Studies 18 (4) Critical * Jackson, Richard Introduction: the Case for Critical Terrorism Studies. European Political Science: European Political Science 6 (3): * Jackson, Richard The Core Commitments of Critical Terrorism Studies. European Political Science 6 (3): * Jackson, Richard Constructing Enemies: Islamic Terrorism in Political and Academic Discourse. Government and Opposition 42 (3): Gunning, Jeroen Babies and Bathwaters: Reflecting on the Pitfalls of Critical Terrorism Studies. European Political Science 6 (3): Blakeley, Ruth Bringing the State Back into Terrorism Studies. European Political Science 6 (3): Gunning, Joroen A Case for Critical Terrorism Studies? Government and Opposition 42 (3) Horgan, John, and Michael Boyle The Case Against Critical Terrorism Studies. Critical Studies on Terrorism 1 (1) Smyth, Marie Breen A Critical Research Agenda for the Study of Political Terror. European Political Science 6 (3) Apr 22 Debate presentations #1 PART II: MAJOR DEBATES ON TERRORISM Apr 29 Debate presentations # University Policy and Regulations on Honesty in Academic Work Attention is drawn to University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and 7

8 to the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and regulations. Details may be found at With each assignment, students will be required to submit a signed declaration that they are aware of these policies, regulations, guidelines and procedures. For group projects, all students of the same group should be asked to sign on the declaration. For assignments in the form of a computer-generated document that is principally textbased and submitted via VeriGuide, the statement, in the form of a receipt, will be issued by the system upon students' uploading of the soft copy of the assignment. Assignments without the receipt will not be graded by teachers. Only the final version of the assignment should be submitted via VeriGuide. 8