Terrorism: an introduction.

Comments from an Air Force officer charged with counterterrorism spawned the first edition of Terrorism more than a decade ago. He told tical work that could provide the basis for understanding theoretical perspec tives. That principle guided the first edition and has been the dominating factor in the subsequent revisions.

The main purpose of this book is to provide basic information in a college-style text. It is written specifically for criminal justice majors, but it should continue to have some value for other disciplines, such as political sci ence and history. The book has proven to be of value to military and security forces, and it will hopefully continue to be helpful to these audiences.

Regardless of where the book is utilized, the basic premise remains the same. It is designed to introduce students who may have little understanding of international politics and history to the world of terrorism. It is an elemen tary introduction to domestic and international terrorism. There are other works that go into great detail, but this book provides the basics. It is designed to enable students to move on to more complicated works.

Several professors have kindly forwarded suggestions about the revision of he text, and I have included a number of their suggestions. This new edition as a number of enhancements to help nonspecialists understand terrorism.