Publishers WeeklyEnglish (Armed Struggle), a professor of politics at Belfast's Queen's University, applies lessons learned from the sectarian struggle in Northern Ireland to the broader issue of international terrorism in this provocative primer. The author lambastes the "war on terror" for nurturing the "disaffection from which terrorist activity is generated." Effective response is contingent on a "sharper, more accurate, and more integrated" historical perspective, he posits, making selective comparisons between Irish and Islamic terrorism to tease out what conditions incite and sustain "significant terrorism campaigns." English's seven-point proposal (approaches the U.S. has "disastrously" ignored in its response to September 11) warns against "a primarily military response" and recommends instead a coordinated policy of security as well as financial and technological measures, with an emphasis on military intelligence-not force-as "the most vital element in successful counter-terrorism.
