The making of a terrorist : recruitment, training, and root causes

Investigates how, why, and where an individual becomes a terrorist.

Global terrorism has become a frightening reality. From New York City to Ball, Moscow, Madrid, and London, ordinary citizens throughout the world live with increasing fear of a deadly attack from unknown individuals, for reasons many of us cannot fathom.

National and international security forces are on constant alert, desperate to prevent the next catastrophe, and yet many observers agree that military and intelligence services are spread too thin and face insurmountable hurdles in the global "war on terror".

The situation calls for greater engagement with the public, as the necessary eyes and ears of the global anti-terrorism coalition.

However, to be effective the public must be equipped with the knowledge of how, why, and where an individual becomes a terrorist.

This is the primary goal of this three-volume set, which seeks to answer one central question: What do we currently know about the transformation through which an individual becomes a terrorist?

Volume I deals with recruitment means and methods, and includes discussions of psychological, social, ideological, and religious dimensions of recruitment. Volume II addresses the training of terrorists, including teaching tools and training manuals, and it includes fascinating case studies from Al Qa'ida, Aum Shinrikyo, Christian militias, and other groups.

Volume III is devoted to root causes, including their political, religious, and socioeconomic dimensions.

Appendices to these volumes feature profiles of terrorist organizations, samples of terrorist training manuals, and recommended resources for the study of terrorism.