This monograph surveys and integrates scholarly social-science literature relevant to counterterrorism. It draws from numerous disciplines and then uses high-level conceptual models to pull the pieces together regarding root causes, individual radicalization, public support, and the ways in which terrorism fades. It identifies points of agreement and disagreement and discusses the consequences of different contexts and perspectives.

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Review

The RAND Corporation is renowned for its contribution to the canon of security literature. To this it has added Social Science for Counterterrorism: Putting the Pieces Together, an exacting compendium that demands the readership of those who foray into the field of terrorism studies.... Over the course of twelve chapters, the contributors present a lucid and grounded narrative that weaves together the issues on which counterterrorism policies have been based since 11 September 2001.... [Its] utility of is also underpinned by its clear and concise approach to the topics, which are broken down into logical and easily understood segments, and its revelation of the links between them.... The monograph should be required reading for all social scientists who set their sight on terrorism studies or related fields.
Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2010

From the Inside Flap

"Why does terrorism arise and decline?" "Why do people become terrorists or disengage?" "How do terrorists generate, maintain, or lose public support?" "How do terrorists make decisions?" These are the questions that the authors address.