The Role of Terrorism in Twenty-First-Century Warfare: New Directions in Terrorism Studies

The role of terrorism in twenty-first-century warfare is a critical reflection on the major armed conflicts of the 1990s and 2000s. Wars in Bosnia, Kosovo, Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria all involved the use of terrorism by one or more groups - looking to the future, what does this mean for violent conflicts yet to come?

Using a variety of case studies, Susanne Martin and Leonard Weinberg provide a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the roles played by terrorism both as a stand-alone tactic and as a means of igniting broad-scale conflict. They investigate whether terrorist violence occurs during the early stages of an insurgency - as a leading indicator of a wider conflict - or if it is employed throughout the conflict's duration. They also seek to determine the circumstances under which terrorism occurs as an armed conflict begins to subside, in other words acting as a trailing indicator.

This study is the product of Martin and Weinberg's thorough investigations into the function and timing of terrorist violence in multi-dimensional conflicts. As such, it is an essential text for understanding the role that acts of terror play in contemporary warfare and future conflicts, and will be of interest to students in military studies, political science and international relations.