Inside Terrorism by Bruce Hoffmann

I admit that this latest terrorist attack in Christchurch New Zealand scared me to death.

I have friends in Christchurch and the night before, the day after I would have learnt what happened in Christchurch, I sent some messages to a friend. I wanted to try to understand what it was going on in the corner of the world of my contact. She is the owner of the Queen Anne Chocolates. I found the Instagram page of that sweet reality, I posted some comments, that chocolates are truly delicious, yum, trust me, I put on a lot of weight when I received them years ago. Then I went to bed. The day after the hell.

The best book about terrorism, a real treatise, updated three times, in particular after Semptember 2001, is Inside Terrorism by Bruce Hoffman published by Columbia University Press. Mr Hoffman is a real eminence in the field. He studied terrorism per decades and wherever you search for him, he is involved in programs about security studies, terrorism.

Why this word first of all: Terrorism? Do you know? It started to be used the word Terror and later terrorism when Robesperierre instaurated in Paris and France the season of "Terror" a moment in which no one was anymore tranquil; where sunspect whispered everywhere and in every house; where someone could be killed just because considered someone not too friendly.

With the time, terrorism became largely an abrupt manifestation of terror caused for the most diversified reasons. Religious, political. An act of terrorism  wants to create a destabilization in the population and consequently frustration in the government of the country affected by it. Let's think for a second at what happened during the Twin Towers Attacks, where a new islamic radicalization in a structured terrorist group called Al Qaeda, tried to kill the Western Civilization "killing" not just wagons of people but also one of the most powerful and amazing symbol of the USA: the Twin Towers and many certainties. 

Religion and terrorism: a strong match this one, in particular admits the author after that  big ideologies of the XX century collapsed. Communism, democracy, were two certainties, but after that they evaporated,  what remained strong, in particular in the Middle-East, was religion. A list more long than a page will let you  see the power of terrorist attacks created, wanted because of religious terrorism.

After all it was bin Laden who tried to re-create, explains Hoffman a pan-Islamic caliphate, venerated, beloved. Of course the USA were seen as a country who would have played a decisive role for not permitting to bin Laden the creation of this state.

ISIS like Al Qaeda, tries to fight for the creation of this Caliphate as we see everyday in terms of departures of human existences.

These terrorist movements, in their different approaches wants to reach the same goal explains Hoffman.

These days we heard a lot the words: Christian White Supremacists. It was s suprematists who committed the horrible latest terrorist attack in Christchurch.

The USA discovered this movement, violently with the terrible terrost attack of Oklahoma City on April 1995. The terrorist was part of a white suprematist and antifederalist movement.

Sentenced to death the terrorist was killed.

These people, part of this movement are anti-semitic, they fight for bearing arms. This movement created with the time "citizens militias" Incredible but this movement has killed more people than not the Islamic terrorism writes the author.

As we have recently seen from 9/11 a new phaenomen regarding terrorism unknown  in the Western Civilization and in the past confined in the Middle-East took place: the suicide terrorism.

Why this? The author is clear: "Suicides tactics are devastatingly effective, lethally efficient have a greater likelihood of success, and are relatively inexpensive and generally easier to execute than other attacks modes." They are symbolic, ritualistic and communicative....

A complex combination of expressive and instrumental violence. Well, if I think again at 9/11 I would re-start to develop insomnia per months. I had friends in NYC, working close to the Twin Tower.

Being a psychological weapon, terrorists know that this one is a powerful arm. The terrorist attack of 9/11, was pretty unexpensive but the devastations still felt in the population in terms of loss. This kind of terrorism communicates violently a powerful message, becoming with the time an instrument of war....

I will stop here because I don't want to tell you all this book. Just let me add that the author won't forget in the book of analyzing what the terrorism is today and what it is becoming.

Mr.Hoffman  is clear and this book highly recommended to everyone.

I thank Columbia University Press for the physical copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori