Customer Reviews

The Mind of the Terrorist: The Psychology of Terrorism from the IRA to al-Qaeda

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although largely well written, the book mostly focuses on the history of various terror groups rather than a deeper review of their psychopathology. Mostly the psychological aspects are referred to in recurring themes.

The reason for a rating of two, however, is the asinine notion that since Moses, according to the Book of Exodus, was the deliverer of the Jews from Egypt and that the plagues supposedly orchestrated by him make Moses the first bioterrorist. Sorry, but that is just a bit much.

Furthermore in the tactics old and new section the author confuses biowarfare with bioterrorism.

Lastly, in the main text the author could do more to emphasise the scope of strategic intent of the various terror groups more clearly. Thus the author could more effectively show the national ambitions of some groups and the global megalomania of others.

"Understanding Terror Networks" by Marc Sageman, although dryer, is a far more effective expenditure of time and money.

If you ever wonder how those terrorists can do what they do this is the book for you. This book is the best one volume catch all book on about every terrorist group that there is. The author does a great job diagnosing what motivates each of those groups he highlights. He puts you into the mind of each group in a short, concise narrative on the group. You can see what motivates them to do what they do. His information is very applicable, right out of the newspaper. He goes over both FARC and PKK. Both groups recently had their chapters of fame in the world's newspapers just within the past month. Through every chapter you can see terrorists aren't like us. Each group is motivated by a slightly different cause. However it is easy to say that they all aren't like the average American. We are fooling ourselves to think otherwise. The author does offer some great tips on how to fight terrorism. His tips are real thought provoking and worthy of a look by all.

if you are looking for a book that will alarm you and justify you own prejudices against certain groups of terrorists, this book is not for you. if you are genuinely seeking an objective analysis of the cognitions and emotions of terrorists, then this is a very good summary analysis of different types of terrorism based on motivation. the writing style is somewhat dry, most of the time. however, he offers very good, cogent insights. he makes sincere efforts to reach out and better comprehend the underlying psyche of the terrorist, so that inroads might be made in reducing the threat of terrorism in the world today. prone to pontificate, i wouldn't recommend this book for those with a closed mind or those not used to this style. for those who want to read one of the very finest texts on psychological understanding of terrorism, this is highly recommended. i give it an "A+". for interested readers, post's book on clinton and hussein is also revealing and fascinating - although dry.

Jerrod Post's "The Mind of the Terrorist" provided an illuminating look into the mind of the leaders of several terrorist organizations...several of which including Shining Path, The Red Brigades, and The Red Army Faction I was previously unaware of. Although no terrorist can be perfectly painted into a box, Post is able to create some common themes : Most terrorists had experienced some sort of severe shaping childhood loss, many of them have grown up in minority groups within states that are treated unjustly by the ruling majority group such as the LTTE and The IRA. This perceived injustice provides a fertile ground for recruitment among the native marginalized populations. Many groups have risen up 1. as a rejection of their parents generation, 2. As a social revolutionary organization to dethrone the Western Capitalist order of things, 3. To address generations of injustice or 4. Because God or some other religious doctrine has told them to kill x group for y reason. The typical terrorist leader also has a sizeable ego and may rely on charismatic factors or propaganda or sheer brute force to gain recruits to the cause.

The second part of the book switches from the leaders of terrorist organizations to those who join terrorist organizations. Paying particular attention to Islamist terrorists, Post draws a picture of a world full of weak governments with little hope for employment or a future for their young populations. In this environment with unchecked avenues for the dissemination of Islamic radical propaganda, terrorists have a ready supply of young people who easily fall prey to these religious ideas of hatred for another because they don't have anything else to believe in. Post gives a stirring picture of both several terrorist leaders and the profile of the type of people they seek to recruit to their cause in an accessible 257 page format.

Bought this for class, it was a great book, which broke down many terrorist organizations!!

This book is woefully mistitled: it is not at all an exploration of the "mind of the terrorist," but rather contains much more information about the histories and organizational structures of various terrorist groups. Even this information is provided in a loose, high-school book report style and does not contain significantly more than what can be found in an internet search. The most valuable part of the book ought to have been the supposedly extensive interviews conducted by Mr. Post with the members of the terrorist organizations themselves, but these are only sparsely dispersed throughout the book and almost always insignificant or unhelpful. To give an example, in Mr. Post's profile of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam considerable space is devoted to the life of its charismatic leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran. However, this contains only a basic description of his childhood, personality, and rise to power. The rest of the section briefly describes some of the acts the LTTE has perpetrated under his leadership as well as its gradual acceptance of suicide terrorism. What particularly stands out is how little we are actually invited into the minds of any of the members or leaders of this organization. There is not a single excerpt from an interview conducted by Post or by anyone else that runs to any considerable length or that serves to illuminate the life or the experience of the terrorist themselves. In other words, there seems to be very little about the minds of terrorists in this book that is for some reason entitled The Mind of the Terrorist. In addition to this, there are numerous spelling and punctuation errors which contribute even further to the book's overall impression of superficial haste. To charge $22 for such a poor piece of scholarship is a crime.

Based on interviews and quotes, the author profiles many movements whether open insurgencies or relatively close - small groups. From Europe to America and the Middle East, strikingly many share the same "normal" perspective: "I'm fighting against the aggressor".