Author: Philip Bobbitt
Publisher: Allen Lane
Category: Book

List Price: ~~Ł25.00~~
Buy New: Ł13.09
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Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

1 reviews
Sales Rank: 29217

Media: Hardcover
Pages: 688
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.8

ISBN: 0713997842
Dewey Decimal Number: 327
EAN: 9780713997842
ASIN: 0713997842

Publication Date: May 29, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours

Also Available In:

•	Paperback - Terror and Consent: The Wars for the Twenty-first Century
•	Hardcover - Terror and Consent: The Wars for the Twenty-First Century

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Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant! September 28, 2008
Orangutan (uk)
This book is a really interesting look at 21st-century terrorism, from its evolution in history to its current aims and capabilities and to future predictions as to how society will live with terrorism in the future. Central to the argument of the book is the paradigm shift that a globalised and decentralised terrorist network represents to 20th-century thinking over state provision of security to its citizens. Where terrorist networks adopt the tools of a globalised world. The Internet as a tool for the dissemination of propaganda, the recruitment of supporters, and creation of a virtual "ummah" (Muslim brotherhood). The franchise model of market capitalism for the outsourcing of terrorist attacks, motivated by disparate grievances and perpetrated by disparate individuals but united by the "Al Qaeda" brand. The free-market exchange of commodities to pursue weapons of mass destruction (such as that presided over by AQ Khan in his distribution of nuclear secrets on the black market).

There is discussion on the future vulnerabilities from biological attack as biological capability becomes more widely spread. In particular the recent developments in DNA sequencing viruses from scratch in laboratories poses a real danger in the future of pathogen control. With highly contagious and lethal viruses such as smallpox now having the potential to be manufactured by doctorate level chemists able to bypass the top security government biochemical laboratories with DNA sequences readily published online, the traditional state controls on bio weapons are significantly weakened.

There is also a discussion on the evolution of terrorist ideology to justify the targeting of civilians, the challenges for modern intelligence agencies and the impact on society from a significant biological or nuclear attack.

The book is written in an intelligent but highly readable manner, furnished with literally hundreds of footnotes, citations of reports and analysis from experts in the field. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the effect of terrorism on 21st-century politics. It is a fascinating read.