"The History of Terorism" From Antiquity To Al Qaeda" offers a clear-eyed, unsentimental and comprehensive look at terrorism. The editors, Gerard Chaliand and Arnaud Blin, are also the major contributors to a series of well-written essays that trace the historical roots and the modern usage of terrorism.

The book is divided into three sections. The first deals with the prehistory of terrorism, especially by small, specialized groups such as the Zealots. The second section covers the period 1789 to 1968, as terrorism came into its own as a tool of radical political movements. The final section, slightly more than half the book, covers the recent uses of terrorism, especially by Islamic radicals including but not limited to al-Qaeda.

The text appears to have been translated from French, which may be the cause of slightly wooden prose in some of the entries. More importantly, this history is not US-centric, which may be a refreshing change for some students in this field. The approach is generally from the theoretical underpinnings of the politics and/or religious motivations of groups practicing terrorism, to the results of their efforts. "A History of Terrorism" is very highly recommended for its comprehensive and unsentimental look at the topic.

"The History of Terrorism" written by Chaliand and Blin, is a very interesting book. From the beginning, we're faced with the difficult question of what constitutes terrorism. I could probably tackle this issue with several books alone. Remember that old adage, "your terrorist is my freedom fighter". One of the primary objectives of any military engagement is to effectively reduce the will of the enemy to fight - often through terror or "shock and awe". Unfortunately, the GHWB commission's definition of terrorism is adopted, in which "sub-government" organizations terrorize. Clearly, as much is later written in this book about the terrorism brought against people by Nazi and Communist regimes, little is mentioned about American terrorism against the Native Americans or Slaves or Japanese in internment camps in the USA and populace of Japanese cities in the bombings in WW2. That's a significant weakness of the book. A disproportionate and perhaps overlooked level of detail is offered on the history of terrorism by the Israeli's in their Zionistic cause. The book tends to ramble often. The second half of the book was written in a much more informative manner, broken up with logical subsections, and, on the whole, seemed to be written in a much fairer style. It did not draw me in like so many other books usually do on the topic of terrorism. While this is far from just mediocre writing, it just never fully engaged me. I give this a grade of C+.

Histroy of terrorism is a very useful and highly interesting book and readers would stand to gain a lot from reading it. I strongly recommend that this book be read widely in order for modern men to be armed with an appropriate knowledge about the most sensational phenomena of the new century. It is brain teasing and covers an wide array of patterns of terrorism.

Gautam Maitra
Author of 'Tracing the Eagle's Orbit: Illuminating Insights into Major US Foreign Policies Since Independence'.

If you liked this book or thought it was just "average", I would highly recommend Just 2 seconds. Just 2 Seconds really opened my eyes to just how important personal protection and security is. It gives detailed accounts of attacks on public figures, dignitaries and celebrities.
Check it out Just 2 Seconds, you will love it!

I like this text in that it sets historical and moral context for today's conflicts.
Chaliand and Blin, the editors, lay out the text in chapters on eras and specific conflicts. The text is notable in that it delves into the evolution of the moral debates concerning the targeting of civilians in times of warfare. Few today realize that much of today's terrorism evolved from the guerilla warfare in Occupied Europe of WWII, and the partisan civil conflicts that often followed after Nazi Germany was defeated. The editors draw these connections well, while maintaining a balanced academic-style approach. It is indeed difficult to discuss this field of study without taking sides or pontificating on the morality of "who is a legitimate target." Chailiand and Blin walk this line well.
-CLW