Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century

Cynthia Comb's book ought to have focussed much more on contemporary terrorism instead of those that prevailed in the 1970s and 1980s. While this book is useful to get an insight into the dynamics of terrorism, modern terrorism is qualitatively different in that it is far more organized with a global network. If one has to gain a theoretical understanding on the subject then the section on terrorism in my book, 'Tracing the Eagle's Orbit' could be worth trying. Yet, Dr. Comb has written a very interesting and thought provoking book and that alone counts. This is more so, if one admits the size of the book in view of a rapidly proliferating topic. Gautam Maitra Author of 'Tracing the Eagle's Orbit: Illuminating Insights into Major US Foreign Policies Since Independence.'

I am a prior student of Cindy Combs and have studied terrorism for over 5 years. I own both a copy of the 3rd and 4th edidtions and can say without a doubt the book provides an excellent introduction to the study of terrorism. I have read reviews concerning the book and must say that the information is outdated, but it is meant as a guideline. The book is best used in conjunction with the Encyclopedia of Terrorism and the Terrorism Readers (aka governement reports on activity and News articles concerning recent actions).

The book is a thorough review of the differnet aspects of terrorism, and as such it fits as an undergraduate textbook on the subject. Combs reviews the history of terrorism, different types of terrorism, and how people and governmnets dealt with this phenomenon during the years.The book is written is a clear and communicative style, and each chapter ends with several issues for indepth thinking and discussion.The relatively small size of the book, the clarity and exhaustiveness of its coverage of terrorism make it attractive to a busy student who wishes to learn about terrorism but has very little time to spend on such study. I truely think the book merits 5 point especially compared to other material written on this subject these days.

I can't tell you enough how much I enjoyed reading this book. She was right on with her conclusions and presented her findings very well. There are few books which I consider very informative and at the same time, enjoyable. This book has both of those characteristics and I highly recommend.