What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife?


Book Description

David Harris-Gershon and his wife, Jamie, moved to Jerusalem full of hope. Then, mere days after Israel thwarted historic cease-fire negotiations among the Palestinians, a bomb ripped open Hebrew University’s cafeteria. Jamie’s body was sliced with shrapnel; the friends sitting next to her were killed. When a doctor handed David some of the shrapnel removed from Jamie’s body, he could not accept that this piece of metal changed everything. But it had. The bombing sent David on a psychological journey that found himdigging through shadowy politics and traumatic histories, eventually leading him back to East Jerusalem and the Hamas terrorist and his family. Not out of revenge. Out of desperation. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, this fearless debut confronts the personal costs of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and our capacity for recovery and reconciliation.




Does Terrorism Work?


Book Description

Terrorism is one of the most significant security threats that we face in the twenty-first century. Not surprisingly, there is now a plethora of books on the subject, offering definitions of what terrorism is and proffering advice on what causes it and how states should react to it. But one of the most important questions about terrorism has, until now, been left remarkably under-scrutinized: does it work? Richard English now brings thirty years of professional expertise studying terrorism to the task of answering this complex--and controversial - question. Focussing principally on four of the most significant terrorist organizations of the last fifty years (al-Qaida, the Provisional IRA, Hamas, and ETA), and using a wealth of interview material with former terrorists as well as those involved in counter-terrorism, he argues that we need a far more honest understanding of the degree to which terrorism actually works--as well as a more nuanced insight into the precise ways in which it does so. Only then can we begin to grapple more effectively with what has become one of the most challenging and eye-catching issues of our time.




Turkey Shoot


Book Description

Winner of the 2019 Courage in Fiction Award from Independent Publishers of New England IT’S OCTOBER 2015. Meet Mahmoud al Ramadi, 23, a bitter displaced Iraqi who unexpectedly becomes a terrorist. Fresh from battling ISIS in Syria, he’s sent to float to Greece as a refugee. There, in gritty Piraeus, he adopts terrorism—or more precisely, terrorists adopt him. The ambitious operation his new comrades are plotting will, he’s informed, decimate the power elite and nspire revolution around the globe. Having vowed payback for war crimes that orphaned him, the devout Mahmoud accepts the mission as his jihad. His thousand-mile odyssey from war-torn Mosul to strife-ridden Athens and part way back tests his metal, his wits, and his abiding faith. You’ll find memorable characters, tense action, straight and gay romance, ideological and other altercations, and ingenious improvisations in both the real and virtual worlds in this gripping, one-of-a-kind thriller. How you’ll feel about their rogue operation and its dénouement depends on who you are and what you stand for, but it could be complicated. All that Mahmoud experiences edits his articles of faith and just might edit some of yours. Book Review 1: "Turkey Shoot is much more than a thriller, more Wajda’s Ashes and Diamonds than 007, elegantly written by someone who clearly knows the history, geography, and political turmoil of the region with great empathy for those victimized by unnecessary wars and heartless policies." -- San Cassimally, playwright and novelist, winner of the Mobil Prize for his play Acquisitive Case Book Review 2: "Experience a cast of colorful characters who band together on a dangerous mission. The dialogue sparkles and the prose thrusts you on an adventure that twists and turns. The bittersweet ending will surprise you." -- Dr. Arnold Kamis, founder, Lexington Writer’s Group Book Review 3: "If invaders destroyed your home, your family, your people—what would you do? Where would you go, how would you get there, what could you take with you, how could you reach out to friends and family or make money? Whom would you trust, or even love? Enough such trauma might drive you to terrorism, might it not? Why not stake out this cell of fed-up international radicals and find out? What they’re planning will kill you." -- Dr. A. Bengola, Professor of English, Newark State Teachers College Book Review 4: "Geoffrey Dutton wraps the reader into a first-person scenario, tracking an outsider as he negotiates a maze of twisty streets and untested persons who claim to be allies. The observations of great detail bring the scenes to life along with the contradictions that lie ahead. Expect the unexpected in this fast-paced thriller." -- Dr. Nick Chrisman, Author, Editor, Geographer, Bellingham WA




The Media and the War on Terrorism


Book Description

These candid conversations capture the difficulties of reporting during crisis and war, particularly the tension between government and the press. The participants include distinguished journalists—American and foreign, print and broadcast—and prominent public officials, past and present. They illuminate the struggle to balance free speech and the right to know with the need to protect sensitive information in the national interest. As the Information Age collides with the War on Terrorism, that challenge becomes even more critical and daunting. "We are very careful in what we talk about publicly. We do not want to paint a picture for the bad guys. So we don't talk very much at all about what we're going to do going forward."—Victoria Clarke, Department of Defense "This was a war that was very different. It was conducted primarily by about 200 to 250 special forces soldiers on the ground. There were no reporters with those soldiers until after the fall of Kandahar, until the war was essentially over. There were no eyes and ears, and that's the way the Pentagon wants it."—John McWethy, ABC News "I covered Capitol Hill for a very long time and was always astounded by the nonpolitical motivation of a lot of people that are up there who really do want to make the world better, want to make the U.S. better. So don't come away believing that because there are political implications that there are always political motivations."—Candy Crowley, CNN "There is a feeling among the community, Muslim Americans, and also overseas that we might become the new enemy. But so far nobody knows whether it is just because of the war or if it's going to last."—Hafez Al-Mirazi, Al-Jazeera Cosponsored with the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the Kennedy School, Harvard University.










Does Counter-Terrorism Work?


Book Description

State responses to terrorism have shaped politics and society globally. But how far, and in what precise ways, has counter-terrorism actually succeeded? Based on the author's experience of studying terrorism and counter-terrorism for over three decades, Does Counter-Terrorism Work? offers an historically-grounded, systematic, and expert interrogation of the effectiveness of state responses to terrorist violence. Previous analyses have too often tended to be polarized, simplistic, and short-termist; they have also lacked a comprehensive framework against which properly to assess the (in)efficacy of counter-terrorist efforts over time. Richard English's pioneering book carefully defines what effective counter-terrorism would involve, and then tests that layered framework through cross-case, balanced, historically-focused comparison of important counter-terrorist campaigns. Drawing on a vast range of source material, Does Counter-Terrorism Work? assesses in detail the strategic, tactical, and personal or political achievements and failures evident this blood-stained field of work. The book is intended to stimulate debate and reflection among scholars, students, practitioners, and the wider public. Every one of us is daily affected by the choices made in counter-terrorist politics and policy. This deeply original book helps us to understand how society and politics have been shaped by such decisions in the past, and prepares us to respond more effectively in the future to one of the world's most important challenges.




The Ultimate Counterterrorist Home Companion


Book Description

We all know how our government is fighting global terrorism, but what are you doing to help? Probably not much. The Ultimate Counterterrorist Home Companion can change that. It’s the definitive guide to how you can be a soldier in the War on Terrorism without having to leave your kitchen. This illustrated manual will expertly train you and your entire family in: • Spying on your neighbors • Turning common household objects into useful terror-fighting weapons • Baking your way to homeland security • Making your antiterrorism drills more kid friendly • Planting booby traps and land mines in your home and garden • Strategic mail-opening strategies • Making your own color-coded terrorism alert chart From the moment you get up in the morning (at a different time every day to keep attackers off balance!) to your final closet and under-the-bed check at night, you’ll want to keep The Ultimate Counterterrorist Home Companion close at hand. (In fact, if you don’t buy this book, you are acting in a suspicious manner, in our opinion!)




Counterinsurgency and Counterterrorism


Book Description

This study has been undertaken as the first ever joint research publication between defence institutions in Denmark and Pakistan. Given the development in international security politics in the last few years, it is fair to argue that both Denmark and Pakistan are at a point where future security challenges require a development of policies and strategies. Though the roles of Denmark and Pakistan respectively are different in nature, a lot of commonalities in conceptual thoughts and actions were found between the two countries at all levels. The book at hand gathers a number of lessons identified from Afghanistan and Pakistan with the objective of promoting sustainable regional peace building and developing military and civilian cooperation strategies for counterinsurgency and counterterrorism.




Vengeance


Book Description

Anna Maria Dane is a woman who is struggling with despair after losing her father and fianc in the attacks of September 11, 2001. Her pain turns into anger, which gives birth to a desire for revenge, and she obtains it in the only way she can, by going after individuals still alive who helped bring that day about. She gets amazing and unusual assistance from Braeden Maguire, a guilt-ridden CIA operative, whose reasons for helping her are not what they seem. Anna Maria's killing spree takes her to some of the most beautiful and dangerous places in the world, and the things she discovers people did to help the hijackers carry out their mission astonishes her. But killing these people does not bring her peace, so she sets out to confront the terrorist leader who masterminded the September 11th plot. Killing this individual, a man whom the CIA has dubbed "The Most Dangerous Man Alive", is not easy and she herself is almost killed. So close to death's door and willing to stay there, the people around her refusing to give up on her, Anna Maria soon comes to realize that living is the best revenge of all.




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