Terrorism and its responses

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical analysis of a number of recent works devoted to different problems relating to terrorism, paying particular attention to suggested responses, including those that might be made by victims of terrorist activity. This has been done against the background of works dealing with problems of self‐determination and insurgency, for many movements claiming to be seeking self‐determination or to be engaged in insurgency resort to terrorist acts, while terrorist movements invariably assert that they are true insurgents or are seeking self‐determination, and that the end justifies the means. In addition, this paper explores the role of the media in estimating the extent to which public reporting aids terrorism or hinders anti‐terrorist activity. The amount of writing now being produced in this field is immense, and one can only find one's way through the morass with the assistance of specialized or general bibliographies. Reference has been made to some of these bibliographies, and attention has been drawn to their advantages and drawbacks.