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Another Kind of War

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  • Author's Welcome

    Another Kind of War grew out of my response to the tragic events of 11 September 2001—9/11. In search of a way to response to this attack, I decided to create a course on the nature and history of terrorism. That course was first offered in 2003 and has been taught in a constantly evolving form to this day, in the classroom and online. For information concerning my online course on terrorism, History 257, please contact the Department of History at the University of Illinois, history@illinois.edu. We welcome students from other institutions. The University of Illinois is also interested in licensing the use of the online materials presented in History 257, including video lecture modules, to those institutions that might consider adding the course to their own catalog.

    After teaching the course for several years, my next step was to write this book. Another Kind of War is tailored for readers new to the subject; it is primarily an effort in civic education and, in a sense, civil defense. Judging from the initial reactions to the book, it seems that my efforts may also be of value to professionals within the academic, law-enforcement, national security, and military communities. Such a reception is gratifying, but my main intended audience remains the general public, including those in the classroom.

    Radical terrorism is warfare, but it is a kind of war unlike other American conflicts fought since 1900. During the world wars, only Americans in the war zone were on the front lines. However, terrorism puts us a at the front and in the enemy’s crosshairs. We really have no choice. In attacking relatively few victims, radical terrorism seeks to exert psychological impact on a far larger target audience. Terrorism aims to manipulate us by inflicting fear and inciting outrage, dominating our consciousness and turning us into unwitting agents of our own defeat.

    Therefore, in our part of the fight, we need to recognize the terrorists’ goals and thwart them by refusing to react in ways that work to the terrorists’ advantage. The citizen’s task is different from those at the tip of the spear facing terrorists in the field. The citizens’ battle must be engaged, above all, through knowledge, understanding, and judgment. Another Kind of War is offered as an aid in developing these capabilities. It is an introduction to the subject that makes few assumptions about the readers’ prior knowledge. It begins by considering the nature of terrorism, suggesting a conceptual foundation, complete with considerations of traits, levels, strategies, and chronologies of terrorism. These are not offered as rules, as rigid classifications that must be accepted and applied without question or interpretation. But we need a base that allows us to recognize patterns and to appreciate similarities and differences. Throughout the text, the approach is inclusive, encompassing forms of terrorism ranging from that committed by powerful repressive states against their own citizens to that perpetrated by isolated individuals, lone wolves, in the name of some grand political cause. We need to learn something about the variety of political violence referred to as “terrorist” or “terrorism,” if only to be able to judge between apples and oranges.

    This website is offered to complement, expand, and update the book. However, I would hope that it is of use even to those who have not read Another Kind of War. Following this Welcome, for those who have not read the book, I provide a brief statement of my Categories and Approaches in dealing with the subject of terrorism. These determine the organization of the book and the website. This all prepares the way for the heart of the website: the galleries, extended bibliography, and supplements to the book.

    While this book includes twenty-two key images, the galleries presents about 400 images and also links users to other images, videos, and even music. In addition, although readers of this book will find some modest suggestions for further reading associated with each chapter, the website presents a much more extended bibliography of works relating to terrorism. Since this bibliography is on the web, it can be periodically revised and updated with ease.

    The supplements to the book include a brief chapter presenting my arguments for those who have not read Another Kind of War. Then, the visitor will find some segments of the original manuscript that were cut in the interest of limiting the final book’s length, but that still might add to the discussions. For example, I include these in my classes. Last, in a rapidly moving world, I plan to post discussions of terrorist activities and groups to keep the book/website duo up to date.

    In addition, there are two sections for housekeeping. The first is URL Updates for upgrading URLs in the endnotes of the book over time. The second is Corrections to correct typos, mistakes, and missteps in the text of the book. Those referenced in the Galleries and Supplements will be corrected or updated directly in those sections.

    The last section is Debates. I anticipate that other scholars will want to take issue with me on various point in the book. This section will draw attention to those critiques and respond to them. It is hoped that this exercise in scholarly debate will be of interest to some.

    Before concluding this welcome I must inform the reader that this website includes neither a discussion board nor a chat room. Moreover, considering the amount of time required to maintain such interactive elements, I cannot add them in the future.

    Best regards,
    John Lynn