Democracies Against Terror: The Western Response to State-Supported Terrorism (The Washington Papers) [Hardcover]

Geoffrey M. Levitt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 1988 | ISBN-10: 0275930211 | ISBN-13: 978-0275930219

This timely monography examines one of the most ambitious and potentially powerful efforts to achieve effective international cooperation against terrorism--that of the Summit Seven states. It is based on documentary, press, and secondary sources, interviews with relevant officials of the governments involved, as well as the author's experience as legal counsel to the U.S. State Department Office for Combatting Terrorism (1983-1986). Policy professionals and students of international politics and law will welcome this scholarly treatment of the interaction among policy, politics, and law in a sensitive area of international activity. The study traces Summit Seven initiatives on terrorism since the beginning of the group's attention to the issue in 1978. Summit declarations on various forms of terrorism are discussed and the political and technical follow-up to these declarations by the involved governments are described. Subsequent chapters analyze the actual responses of the Seven governments -- jointly and individually -- to six selected terrorist incidents. The book also describes major international frameworks outside the Summit where counterterrorism cooperation has been pursued, and discusses their relationship to Summit Seven efforts. Finally, conclusions are drawn about whether -- and how -- governments might cooperate more realistically and effectively against international terrorism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Levitt, whose background includes degrees in political science and law and who has worked as a legal advisor in the Department of State, concentrates on the phenomenon of state-supported terrorism. As in most current treatments of terrorism, Levitt first defines the term and the activity. The first chapter is followed by three that focus on the theme of cooperation among the democracies against a common threat. The annual (since 1975) Summit Seven of the leading industrialized democracies has provided a useful forum for forming cooperative approaches. Chapter 3 provides case studies of the uneven success of cooperative responses to various terrorist outrages during the 1980s. Response have included quarantines and sanctions. Levitt notes in some detail the difficulty the US has encountered in trying to get greater support from its allies (such as the extradition of a terrorist suspect from Germany and the refusal of France to allow American plans overflight permission on their way to attack Libya). Excellent study on both the legalities and political hesitations in counterterrorism. For upperdivision undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty.”–Choice

“In Democracies against Terror, Geoffrey Levitt displays the skills of a practicing international lawyer as well as the insights of a thoughtful scholar. Expecially impressive are his discussion of the thorny problems of defining terrorism and his sensible prescriptions for policymakers. A major contribution to the literature.”–John F. Murphy Professor of Law, Villanova University and author of Punishing International Terrorists

About the Author

is Attorney-Adviser in the Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State, where he has served as counsel to the Bureau of European Affairs and to the Office for Combatting Terrorism.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (July 7, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275930211
• ISBN-13: 978-0275930219
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,867,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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