GOVT 315 Terrorism and Insurgency Department of Government Georgetown University

GOVT 315 Terrorism and Insurgency Department of Government Georgetown University Fall 2011 MW 3:30 pm - 4:45 pm (ICC 234) Office Hours: 1:30pm 3:00pm [M] or by appointment Professor Elizabeth Grimm Arsenault Email: ejg28@georgetown.edu Office: ICC 676 Phone: 202/687-6021 Course Description This seminar provides a broad survey of the theoretical and empirical literature on terrorism and insurgency. In the first half of the course, students will examine the nature of state power, the causes of terrorism, the strategies of terrorism designed to alter or challenge state behavior, and counterterror responses. In the second half of the course, students will examine the causes of and responses to insurgency. Students will conclude the course with in-depth group presentations of five specific organizations and the potential ways to defeat them. The seminar seeks to improve students writing skills and to cultivate the ability to engage in critical thinking, analysis, and independent learning. To that end, reading, discussing, and writing about the assigned material will be the central activities of the course. The goal is for students to leave the class possessing not only a better understanding of specific concepts and events, but also an increased ability to express that knowledge in prose and speech. Course Requirements Attendance Students must attend every class session prepared to participate. This is a small class and your absence will be noticeable in how it alters the class dynamic. Since class discussion will go well beyond the readings, absence severely diminishes what you learn from this course. Accordingly, each class missed will result in a third of a letter grade reduction from your final grade plus no credit for participation that day. Lateness is also not acceptable: please attend class promptly everyday, as repeated tardiness will diminish your class participation grade. Participation (20%) Students should think of the course participation grade as an in-class oral examination extended throughout the semester. Informed and thoughtful participation is critical for the success of this course, and the manner in which you participate will be noted. I evaluate participation on the basis of preparation, comprehension, professionalism, and engagement. To achieve the maximum score on participation, students should attend class regularly, prepare for discussion by

completing the readings in advance, contribute to the discussion in class, and be respectful of and responsive to other students. Do not err and think quantity can make up for a lack of quality. Questions, insights, and synthesis are all considered quality. Quality participation sheds light on issues and moves discussion forward so that everyone benefits. Policy Memos (15%) Students are responsible for writing policy memos each Monday that will consist of short answers to the day s discussion question(s). These memos must be typed, doublespaced, and size 12 font. Importantly, these memos must be less than 250 words and must contain their word count. They must also be written in the policy style, with the bottom line of the memo up front. Though students are responsible for writing a memo each week and for bringing these memos to each substantive class, I will collect three of your memos at random for a grade throughout the semester. Each memo is worth 5% of your final grade. Once students have received a grade on all three of their memos, they can voluntarily elect to turn in a fourth memo as part of an amnesty policy. Once this fourth memo has been graded, the lowest of your four grades will be dropped. The fourth memo must correspond to the current week s reading; that is, a fourth memo cannot be turned in that revisits previous topics or revises previous work. Midterm (15%) The midterm will be an in-class exam on Monday, 17 October. It will cover the topics in the first half of the course, with the goal of testing your understanding of the causes, tactics, and methods of terrorism. Group Presentation (20%) Students are required to give a group (3 students) presentation on an assigned terrorist organization. Presentations will last approximately 50 minutes and will include a question and answer session lasting approximately 15 minutes. Further instructions will be provided in a handout. Final Paper: Terrorist Group Profile/Counter-terror Paper (30%) Students are required to write a terrorist group profile and counter-terror paper. This paper will outline the origins, goals, tactics, and the current status of a terrorist group of your choice. The paper also will include a section discussing how you would counter this group. Papers should be double-spaced and no less than 25 pages in length. Further instructions will be provided in a handout. The final paper is due Monday, 12 December. 2

Grading Policy All late assignments will be penalized one-third of a letter grade (i.e., from an A- to a B+) for each day or fraction of a day late. No student can pass this course without completing all of the assignments. Students are responsible for retaining a copy of their papers until they have received a grade. Grades will be assigned according to the following grading scale: Reading Assignments A 100-94 A- 93-90 B+ 89-87 B 86-84 B- 83-80 C+ 79-77 There is no assigned textbook for this course. All of the required readings will be posted on Blackboard. In addition to the reading on Blackboard, you are expected to read the international affairs section of a major national or international newspaper or news magazine, such as the New York Times, The Washington Post, or The Economist. This course assumes no prior familiarity with terrorism, but class sessions will include references to contemporary events. As a result, it is critical that you are aware of important developments in international affairs and international security. For supplemental reading and research, there are multiple major scholarly journals with a specific focus on war and international conflict: International Security, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Peace Research, Security Studies, Civil Wars, Small Wars and Insurgencies, Survival, and Journal of Strategic Studies. Additionally, there are two major scholarly journals with a specific focus on terrorism: Terrorism and Political Violence and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. As learning to write well focuses our thoughts and forces us to organize and document them, all students are required to familiarize themselves with general guidance on writing style. We will consult the guide compiled by William Strunk and E.B. White, entitled The Elements of Style. It is available online at: http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html and can also be purchased for reference. Other Policies 3

Class Etiquette: No laptops are allowed for use during class. If you bring your cell phone, please turn it to silent out of respect for your classmates. Paper Extensions: To receive a paper extension because of an absence requires notice from the Student Health Center or your academic Dean, preferably prior to the due date. Late paper assignments will be penalized as stated above, unless an excuse is provided from the Health Center or the Dean s office. Disability Services: Persons with documented disabilities requiring accommodations to meet the expectations of this course should contact your academic Dean. If you feel it is important for me to know that you have a diagnosed disability that will require accommodation, your Dean must notify me in the first two weeks of classes. Blackboard: All assignments will be posted on our course Blackboard site. Students should check this site regularly for announcements and details on course assignments. To that end, the assignments listed on the syllabus may be subject to minor changes throughout the semester. If changes are made, they will be announced in class as well as posted on Blackboard. Honor System: Be familiar with the University s policies on academic integrity and disciplinary action: http://bulletin.georgetown.edu/regulations6.html. The Honor Pledge states: In the pursuit of the high ideals and rigorous standards of academic life, I commit myself to respect and uphold the Georgetown University Honor System: To be honest in any academic endeavor, and To conduct myself honorably, as a responsible member of the Georgetown community, as we live and work together. How to Read an Article or Book in Political Science When analyzing any topic in political science, it is important to read with issues of causal argument in mind. When approaching theory or argument, always ask yourself: What is at stake with this article or book? Specifically, you should ask: What is the central question of this book/article? What puzzle is the author trying to explain? What is the central argument (cause and effect or independent and dependent variables, important intervening variables or scope conditions)? What are the competing arguments? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this argument versus the competing arguments? What evidence does the author present that is convincing or not? So what? Why does this matter? What are the policy implications? What are the theoretical implications? 4

By approaching your readings with these questions in mind, you will be able to extract the relevant information from the readings, remember it better, and be able to utilize the ideas more effectively in your analysis. COURSE SCHEDULE I. TERRORISM CAUSES, STRATEGIES, AND METHODS A. Causes 1. Wednesday, 31 August: Introduction and Writing Primer No reading assigned. 2. Monday, 5 September: No class Labor Day Holiday 3. Wednesday, 7 September: Definitions Leonard Weinberg, Ami Pedahzur, and Sivan Hirsch-Hoeffler, The Challenges of Conceptualizing Terrorism, Terrorism and Political Violence 16:4 (2004): 777-94. Legislative Requirements and Key Terms, U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism (2005): 8-10. Bruce Hoffman, Inside Terrorism (New York: Columbia Press, 2006): 1-41. Central Intelligence Agency, Guide to the Analysis of Insurgency (declassified 2009). Discussion Question: To what extent do the definitions of terrorism and insurgency matter in our comprehension of these activities? 4. Monday, 12 September: The Nature of Asymmetric Violence Ted Robert Gurr, Why Men Rebel (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1970): 3-21. John Gaventa, Power and Powerlessness: Quiescence & Rebellion in an Appalachian Valley (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1980): 3-32. Jack A. Goldstone, Introduction, in Revolutions: Theoretical, Comparative, and Historical Studies, ed. Jack A. Goldstone (San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1986): 1-17. Discussion Question: Why do actors choose asymmetric violence? 5. Wednesday, 14 September: Discussion- The Nature of Asymmetric Violence 6. Monday, 19 September: The Causes of Terrorism 5

Martha Crenshaw, The Logic of Terrorism: Terrorist Behavior as a Product of Strategic Choice, in Origins of Terrorism, ed. Walter Reich (Washington: Woodrow Wilson Center Press, 1998): 7-24. Daniel Byman, The Logic of Ethnic Terrorism, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 21: 2 (April-June 1998): 149-169. Mark Juergensmeyer, Terror in the Name of God, Current History (2001): 357-361. David C. Rapoport, The Fourth Wave: September 11 in the History of Terrorism, Current History 100:650 (2001): 419-424. Audrey Kurth Cronin, Behind the Curve: Globalization and International Terrorism, International Security 27: 3 (Winter 2002-2003): 30-58. Susan E. Rice, The Threat of Global Poverty, The National Interest (Spring 2006): 76-82. Discussion Question: Choose one of the causes presented by the authors here and assess the author s argument. 7. Wednesday, 21 September: Discussion- The Causes of Terrorism B. Tactics, Methods, and Counterterrorism 1. Monday, 26 September: CBRN Walter Laqueur, Postmodern Terrorism: New Rules For An Old Game, Foreign Affairs 75:5 (September-October 1996): 24-36. Jonathan B. Tucker, Introduction, in Toxic Terror, ed. Jonathan B. Tucker (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2000): 1-14. Central Intelligence Agency, Terrorist CBRN: Materials and Effects, (May 2003). John Parachini, Putting WMD Terrorism into Perspective, The Washington Quarterly 26:4 (Fall 2003): 37-50. Richard Danzig, Aum Shinrikyo: Insights Into How Terrorists Develop Biological and Chemical Weapons, Center for a New American Security (July 2011): 1-68. [Skim] Discussion Question: Why do terrorist groups use CBRN as a strategy of coercion? 2. Wednesday, 28 September: No class Enjoy the afternoon. 3. Monday, 3 October: Suicide Terrorism Robert A. Pape, The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism, American Political Science Review 97:3 (August 2003): 1-19. Mia M. Bloom, Mother. Daughter. Sister. Bomber, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists 61:6 (November-December 2005): 54-62. 6

Mohammed M. Hafez, Dying to be Martyrs: The Symbolic Dimension of Suicide Terrorism, in Root Causes of Suicide Terrorism, ed. Ami Pedahzur (New York: Routledge, 2006): 54-77. Assaf Moghadam, The Roots of Suicide Terrorism: A multi-causal approach, in Root Causes of Suicide Terrorism, ed. Ami Pedahzur (New York: Routledge, 2006): 81-101. Assaf Moghadam, Motives for Martyrdom: Al-Qaida, Salafi Jihad, and the Spread of Suicide Attacks, International Security 33:3 (Winter 2008/2009): 46-78. Discussion Question: Why do terrorist groups use suicide bombing as a strategy of coercion? 4. Wednesday, 5 October: Discussion- Suicide Terrorism 5. Monday, 10 October: No class Columbus Day Holiday 6. Wednesday, 12 October: Counterterror Strategies Stephen M. Walt, Beyond bin Laden: Reshaping U.S. Foreign Policy, International Security 26:3 (Winter 2001-02): 56-78. Paul R. Pillar, Intelligence, in Attacking Terrorism: Elements of a Grand Strategy, eds. Audrey Kurth Cronin and James M. Ludes (Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2003): 115-139. Jane Mayer, Outsourcing Torture, The New Yorker (February 14, 2005). F. Gregory Gause III, Can Democracy Stop Terrorism? Foreign Affairs 84:5 (September-October 2005): 62-76. Brian Ross and Richard Esposito, CIA s Harsh Interrogation Techniques Described, ABC News (November 18, 2005). Jessica Stern, Mind Over Martyr, Foreign Affairs 89:1 (January- February 2010): 95-109. Peter Bergen and Katherine Tiedemann, The Year of the Drone, Counterterrorism Strategy Initiative Policy Paper, New American Foundation (February 2010). Discussion Question: What are the most effective strategies for defeating terrorist groups? 7. Monday, 17 October: In Class Midterm 8. Wednesday, 19 October: Counterterror Simulation 7

I. INSURGENCY CAUSES, STRATEGIES, AND METHODS A. Insurgency 1. Monday, 24 October: Insurgency Causes and Strategies Sun Tzu, Art of War (Colorado: Westview Press Inc., 1994): 165-179. T.E. Lawrence, The 27 Articles of T.E. Lawrence, The Arab Bulletin (20 August 1917). David Galula, Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice (New York, Praeger: 1963): 1-42. Mao Tse-Tung, On Guerilla War (Garden City: Anchor Press, 1978): 41-65. Discussion Question: Why do weak actors win wars? 2. Wednesday, 26 October: Discussion- Insurgency Causes and Strategies B. Counterinsurgency 1. Monday, 31 October: Classic Theories of COIN Austin Long, On the Other War Lessons from Five Decades of RAND Counterinsurgency Research (Santa Monica: Rand Corporation, 2006). [Skim] The U.S. Army & Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007): Chapter 1 [1-1 through 1-29]. David Kilcullen, The Accidental Guerilla (Cambridge: Oxford University Press, 2009): 1-38. Discussion Question: What are the most effective strategies for defeating insurgencies? 2. Wednesday, 2 November: Discussion- Classic Theories of COIN II. TERRORIST AND INSURGENT ORGANIZATION A. Group Presentations 1. Monday, 7 November: Al-Qa ida Rohan Gunaratna, Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror (Berkeley: Berkeley Publishing Group, Inc., 2002): 54-94. Bruce Hoffman, Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Iraq (Santa Monica: RAND Corporation, 2004). Bruce Riedel, Al Qaeda Strikes Back, Foreign Affairs 86:3 (May-June 2007): 24-40. Richard A. Falkenrath, Was Bin Laden the Easy Part? Foreign Affairs (May 2011). Juan C. Zarate and David A. Gordon, The Battle for Reform with Al-Qaeda, The Washington Quarterly 34:3 (Summer 2011): 103-122. 8

Discussion Question: What are al-qa ida s origins, ideology, and organization? Come prepared with four questions that you could ask of the presenting group. (NB: The group giving the presentation does not need to prepare a memo for this class.) 2. Wednesday, 9 November: Guest Lecture Lashkar-e-Tayyiba Ashley J. Tellis, Bad Company: Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and the Growing Ambition of Islamist Militancy in Pakistan, Congressional Testimony provided to the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia (March 2010): 1-9. Stephen Tankel, The Bin Laden Aftermath: Pakistan s Militant Milieu, Foreign Policy (May 6, 2011). C. Christine Fair, Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the Pakistani State, Survival 53:4 (August-September 2011): 29-52. Discussion Question: What are Lashkar-e-Tayyiba s origins, ideology, and organization? Come prepared with four questions that you could ask of the guest lecturer. (NB: Students do not need to prepare a memo for this class.) 3. Monday, 14 November: Taliban Mullah Umar, Taliban Code of Conduct (July 2009). Anne Stenersen, The Taliban Insurgency in Afghanistan: Organization, Leadership, and Worldview, The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (February 2010). David Petraeus, COMISAF s Counterinsurgency Guidance International Security Assistance Force (August 2010). Discussion Question: What are the Taliban s origins, ideology, and organization? Come prepared with four questions that you could ask of the presenting group. (NB: The group giving the presentation does not need to prepare a memo for this class.) 4. Wednesday, 16 November: PBS Frontline Documentary Behind Taliban Lines 5. Monday, 21 November: Hizballah Daniel Byman and Steven Simon, The No-Win Zone: An After Action Report from Lebanon, The National Interest 86 (November/December 2006): 55-61. Augustus Richard Norton, Hezbollah: A Short History (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007): 29-46. 9

Daniel Byman, Israel and the Lebanese Hizballah, in Democracy and Counterterrorism, eds. Robert J. Art and Louise Richardson (Washington: USIP Press, 2007): 305-341. Daniel C. Kurtzer, A Third Lebanon War, Contingency Planning Memorandum No. 8 Council on Foreign Relations (July 2010): 1-8. Discussion Question: What are Hizballah s origins, ideology, and organization? Come prepared with four questions that you could ask of the presenting group. (NB: The group giving the presentation does not need to prepare a memo for this class.) 6. Wednesday, 23 November: No class Thanksgiving Holiday 7. Monday, 28 November: HAMAS Matthew Levitt, Hamas from Cradle to Grave, Middle East Quarterly (Winter 2004): 3-15. Dipak K. Gupta and Kusum Mundra, Suicide Bombing as a Strategic Weapon: An Empirical Investigation of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Terrorism and Political Violence 17:4 (2005): 573-598. Matthew Herzog, Can HAMAS be Tamed? Foreign Affairs 85:2 (March-April 2006): 83-94. Daniel Byman, How to Handle Hamas, Foreign Affairs 89:5 (September-October 2010): 45-63. Discussion Question: What are HAMAS s origins, ideology, and organization? Come prepared with four questions that you could ask of the presenting group. (NB: The group giving the presentation does not need to prepare a memo for this class.) 10

10. Wednesday, 30 November: CIA Recruiter 11. Monday, 5 December: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) Roman D. Ortiz, Insurgent Strategies in the Post-Cold War: The Case of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 25 (2002): 127-143. Peter DeShazo, Johanna Mendelson Forman, and Phillip McLean, Countering Threats to Security and Stability in a Failing State: Lessons From Colombia (Washington: CSIS Press, 2009). Mark P. Sullivan, Latin America: Terrorism Issues, Congressional Research Service RS21049 (February 2011): 1-19. Discussion Question: What are the FARC s origins, ideology, and organization? Come prepared with four questions that you could ask of the presenting group. (NB: The group giving the presentation does not need to prepare a memo for this class.) 12. Wednesday, 7 December: Wrap Up and Reflection After reading this syllabus, you should be in no doubt about class policies and assignments. If you have any remaining questions, I strongly encourage you to contact me as soon as possible. Please sign the below statement and return this page on our second day of class. I have carefully read the syllabus for GOVT 315: Terrorism and Insurgency and understand its contents. Printed Name Signature Date 11