Force of Words : : The Logic of Terrorist Threats / / Joseph M. Brown.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Columbia University Press Complete eBook-Package 2020
• VerfasserIn: Brown, Joseph M.,
• Place / Publishing House: New York, NY : : Columbia University Press, , [2020]; ©2019
• Year of Publication: 2020
• Language: English
• Series: Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare
• Physical Description: 1 online resource

Terrorist groups achieve notoriety through acts of violence, but often threats of potential or upcoming violence are just as effective. Threats disrupt economies and ensnare security forces; they frighten civilians and encourage supporters; and they build credibility and force opponents to make concessions. Force of Words is a groundbreaking examination of the role of threats in terrorist strategies that explains the broader purpose and meaning of terrorist propaganda.Joseph M. Brown explains how terrorist groups tailor their threats so that the desired political message is sent. He scrutinizes why terrorists issue warnings of imminent attacks and pledges of violence as well as their use of hoaxes and bluffing. Drawing on rich interview data, quantitative evidence, and case studies of the Irish Republican Army, ETA, the Tamil Tigers, Shining Path, the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, Boko Haram, the Afghan Taliban, and ISIL, Brown explores the ways that terrorists use language. He demonstrates that when terrorists rely on civilian support, fight democracies, seek social control, or demand negotiations, their threats should be taken seriously. By identifying the conditions that incentivize particular types of threats, Brown offers practical guidance for interpreting and assessing terrorists’ statements. A bold and rigorous consideration of terrorism’s tactical and strategic logic, Force of Words sheds new light on the symbolic, psychological dimension that makes this form of political violence distinctive.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Threats: A Theoretical Framework -- 2. The Provisional IRA: A Full Spectrum of Threats -- 3. ETA and the Tamil Tigers: Comparable Threats for Social Control and Negotiation; Contrasting Threats for Legitimacy, Disruption, and Advantage -- 4. The MRTA and the Shining Path: Common Enemy; Virtually No Threat in Common -- 5. The Taliban, ISIL, and Boko Haram: Comparable Threats for Social Control; Contrasting Threats for Legitimacy, Negotiation, Aggrandizement, and Advantage -- 6. Quantitative Analysis: When to Expect Truthful Warnings -- Conclusion -- Appendix -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index