Globalisation and the Future of Terrorism

The future is notoriously difficult to predict, especially when it comes to terrorism which thrives on the unexpected. Brynjar Lia's Globalisation and the Future of Terrorism is probably the best guide available - an impressive tour d'horizon, methodologically sound, well-argued and convincing in its conclusion that, unfortunately, high levels of terrorism are going to be with us for a very long time. --Alex P. Schmid, UN Terrorism Prevention Branch, Vienna

Globalisation has had a profound impact on contemporary terrorist thinking and behaviour. A pre-eminent specialist on the security environment, Brynjar Lia has authored the definitive text on the subject. As terrorist and insurgent groups worldwide harness the forces of globalization, Lia skilfully dissects its enduring impact on security. It must be read by the specialist and the generalist. --Rohan Gunaratna, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Singapore and US Military Academy, West Point and author, "Inside Al Qaeda, Global Network of Terror" (Columbia University Press)

Dr Brynjar Lia is uniquely qualified to authoritatively speak on terrorism issues. This book provides an extremely useful analytical toolbox as to how globalisation and broader structural causes produce and drive terrorism across the globe in differing contexts. The new global security environment demands new thinking about terrorism. This book provides that critical roadmap towards understanding terrorism strategically as an asymmetric challenge for future generations. --Dr Magnus Ranstorp, St Andrews University

"Lia proposes an analytical framework for predicting future terrorism that is based on the identification and analysis of base causal factors of terrorism at the societal/national and international/world-system levels, rather than simply predicting terrorism based on past patterns. The most important causal relationships he identifies are relative deprivation and inequality, rejection of negotiated peace processes, contagion and spillover effects, paradigmatic shifts in modern mass media, rapid modernization, poverty and weak states, democratization, political legitimacy problems, links to organized crime, hegemonic versus multipolar power, economic and cultural globalization, and war." --Reference & Research Book News

'Prediction is a hazardous job, particularly when it comes to the future. So goes a popular wisdom told in a jest. Yet, author Brynjar Lia navigates through this intellectual minefield with aplomb and produces a book, which is by far one of the best works on terrorism this reviewer has read in a while. My enthusiasm for this book rests heavily on the clarity of Lia's arguments that makes this book so attractive."

Professor Dipak K. Gupta, Department of Political Science, San Diego State University, USA, Journal of Terrorism and Political Violence 18 (4), p. 603,2006