Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Threats: A Theoretical Framework
2. The Provisional IRA: A Full Spectrum of Threats
3. ETA and the Tamil Tigers: Comparable Threats for Social Control
and Negotiation; Contrasting Threats for Legitimacy, Disruption,
and Advantage
4. The MRTA and the Shining Path: Common Enemy; Virtually No Threat
in Common
5. The Taliban, ISIL, and Boko Haram: Comparable Threats for Social
Control; Contrasting Threats for Legitimacy, Negotiation,
Aggrandizement, and Advantage
6. Quantitative Analysis: When to Expect Truthful Warnings
Conclusion
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Joseph M. Brown is assistant professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Brown offers the first comprehensive scholarly study of how
terrorists use words to coerce, warn, inspire fear, legitimate,
negotiate, and ultimately change the perceptions and behavior of
governments and the general public. His rich case studies combine
impressive fieldwork and sophisticated quantitative analysis to
skillfully explain the threats of some of the world’s most
prominent terrorist organizations.
*Peter Krause, author of Rebel Power: Why National Movements
Compete, Fight, and Win*
Terrorism has always been about more than violence. It involves
projecting the constant threat of that violence. In this superb
book, Brown explores the warnings, pledges, hoaxes, and bluffs that
prove terrorists know just how much power and control lie in their
use of language. Force of Words is a remarkable, innovative
resource for students and practitioners of counterterrorism
worldwide.
*John Horgan, author of The Psychology of Terrorism*
Joseph M. Brown is an excellent terrorism scholar. He has found an
area of terrorism that is both fundamental to the subject and yet
largely unaddressed in the academic literature. Force of Words
offers the first unified theoretical account of terrorist threats
in the world.
*Max Abrahms, author of Rules for Rebels: The Science of Victory
in Militant History*
In conclusion, Force of Words represents a major achievement. It is
unquestionably the most sophisticated assessment of terrorist
threats to date. The book also stands as a leading work in the area
of terrorist signaling—an important but often overlooked aspect of
extremist violence. At its core, Force of Words is not simply a
book about terrorist tactics and targeting. Rather, it is a
discerning examination of extremist groups’ specific goals that
demonstrates how radical organizations use violence and threats of
violence to try to influence civilians and governments. For these
reasons, the book is a must-read for anyone interested in non-state
terrorism.
*Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books*
Well researched, clearly argued, and takes the study of
communications from the sidelines to a center position in terrorism
studies.
*Choice*
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