Book Description

'Pluchinsky's first volume focusing on anti-American terrorism is a densely packed and comprehensive look at one of the most complex US national security challenges our nation faces. It reflects the evolving nature of terrorism that has changed with the politics, technology, and media during this tumultuous period in US history. The book is also a thorough accounting of how US policymakers attempt to find solutions to address this dynamic issue. A broad spectrum of terrorism experts, policymakers, and casual reads will undoubtedly find noteworthy facts about terrorist attacks that targeted US interest abroad and at home in this volume. Pluchinsky's level of detail and strong qualitative methodology makes this work an essential desk reference for any serious terrorism scholar.'Studies in Intelligence 'This is a truly magisterial work of scholarship. By pulling all this material together in one place, and by organizing it so accessibly, Pluchinsky has performed an invaluable service for researchers and counter-terrorism practitioners alike … the real selling point is the factual content. Pluchinsky has written the definitive contextual history of US counter-terrorism policy and these volumes, and I confidently expect the two companion volumes still to come, deserve a place in every serious library of terrorism.'Critical Studies on TerrorismOne of the major international security concerns that surfaced in the post-World War II period was the emergence and evolution of international terrorism. The dominant theme in the evolution of this threat has been anti-American terrorism. No other country in the world has had its overseas interests subjected to the level, lethality, diversity, and geographic scope of international terrorist activity than the United States. This four-volume work recounts the development of this threat through 12 US presidential administrations over a 70-year period. It assesses the terrorist threat in the US and overseas and how the government has responded with counter-terrorism policies, strategies, programs, organizations, legislation, international conventions, executive orders, special operations units, and actions. The evolution of the field of terrorism in academia, think tanks, institutes, and the private sector over these 12 administrations is also chronicled.