Welcome!
This guide has been created to help you with your work in the FYS1399 class Terrorism and Political Violence.
- Introduction to Library Research -If you are unfamiliar with our resources and how things are arranged, this tutorial is a good place to start.
- Jones Information Desk - Please know that any of the staff at this desk can help you find resources, make sure you have a manageable topic to work with, and help you navigate the many different materials we have to make your research a success.
For this class we have set up a number of small group sessions to review and help you complete the assignment on Focusing Your Research Paper, steps 1 & 2. Here is the schedule of these sessions and the registration link. Choose the date that suits your schedule, click on it and the registration form will open.
Please email Eileen if you can't make any of the schedule sessions, letting her know when you are available and Sinai or Eileen will be in touch with you.
Finding Lists of Terrorist Groups
How do you find out what countries and regions have terrorist groups and who they are? The Bureau of Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State has several sources you can use:
- Foreign Terrorist Organizations is a list of "designated" and "delisted" terrorist organizations
- Country Reports on Terrorism which is divided into regions and then countries that might be helpful, and it includes a chapter on "State Sponsors of Terrorism"
- Terrorism Designations Press Releases provides the rationale for terrorism designation; only for groups since 2001
- U.S. Department of Archives for information on designations and terrorist groups from 1993 - 2009
Assignment Tip
For this first essay option on "Terrorism and Nationhood" you might want to think of synonyms for this broad idea: genocide, war crimes, human rights, ethnic cleansing, and other euphemisms for violence. Recall, too, that these kinds of crime happen on American soil, both currently and in the near and far past: the Klu Klux Klan and militia groups could both be said to be trying to set up a kind of nationhood that may involve wrenchingly violent behavior on their part or wrenchingly violent responses on the part of government agencies. The many Native Americans who were forced into migration to a reservation (like the Cherokees on the "Trail of Tears") or their children who were intentionally separated from their families to be raised in an Anglo cultural environment could also be said to be victims of such "ethnic cleansing."
The United Nations
Since its founding in the early 20th century the United Nations has sought to bring nations together to solve international problems. Their research and legislation covers a wide variety of information pertinent to terrorism and political violence, from state-sponsored terrorism to refuge and displaced persons needs, the growth of terror organizations and their links to nationalistic and fundamentalist movements.
Below are just two of the UN resources that you might use. To find others, please go to the Electronic Resources Directory and type United Nations into the "Search by Title/Keyword" box to get a full listing of the 20 resources that draw on UN information.
- ODS : official documents of the United Nations This link opens in a new window
Serves as the electronic repository for all types of official United Nations documentation.
Finding Background Information - Specialized Subject Encyclopedias
The resources listed here will give you a good introduction to your specific topic and will lead you to further sources. You may be able to cite these encyclopedias in your papers for first year classes; check with your professor on this point.
"Nation and Nationalism" from: Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy by Publication Date: 1998- "Nationalism" from:Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosopy by Publication Date: 2001, rev. 2010
- "Terrorism" from: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosopy Online by Publication Date: 2011Provides a history of terroris from the French Revolution to the present, covering key traits of terroism and the moral aspect of terrorism
"Terrorism," from: Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online by ISBN: 0415073103Publication Date: 2012Excellent examination of the concepts and complexities of terrorism.
Encyclopedia of Terrorism by Call Number: Jones Ref. HV6431 .K883 2003ISBN: 0761924086Publication Date: 2003This is the first edition of the "Sage Encyclopedia of Terrorism" listed below.
Historical Dictionary of Terrorism, 3rd ed. by Call Number: Jones Ref. HV6431 .A537 2002ISBN: 9780810863118Publication Date: 2009Link is to the 3rd. ed. e-book; call number is for the earlier 2nd ed. (2002).
Talking Terrorism: A Dictionary of the Loaded Language of Political Violence by Call Number: Moody General HV6431 .H455 2003ISBN: 0313324867Publication Date: 2003
World Terrorism by Call Number: Jones Ref. HV .W67 2011ISBN: 9780765682840Publication Date: 2011-08-26
Reliable General Sources
Don't neglect to start your research with a basic introductory or overview work like Europa WorldPlus or The Statesman's Yearbook. Getting the basic facts in one easy location can save you a lot of time as you move on to the more intricate aspects of your research.
- Stratfor AnalysisProvides information about current gobal events.
- Stratfor ForecastsProvides forecasts on global, political, economic and military developments.
- Stratfor Geopolitical DiaryCovers political events around the world.
- ITERATE (The International Terrorism:Attributes of Terroist Events)Provides statistics on international terrorism event chronologies represented in major media, research, news, and information services. ITERATE consists of four interrelated files. The Common Files codifies terrorist activities by venue, type of incident, originating groups and their affiliations, characteristics of victims, and fatalities. The Fate of Terrorists File describes terrorist participants, their nationalities, and post-event outcomes. The Hostage File contains information on hostage events, demands and ransom, terrorist and negotiator behaviors, characteristics of negotiations, length and outcome of events, and nationalities involved. The Skyjack File includes information on aircraft and airlines involved, locations, duration and outcome of incidents, and number of victims.
- DOTS (Data on terrorist suspects)A directory of leaders, perpetrators, financiers, defendants, detainees, persons of interest, conspirators, aliases, and others, from 1950-2008.
Provides an alphabetical arrangement of individuals who have appeared in ITERATE and Edward Mickolus' previous chronologies of international terrorism, and includes individuals who have been named in open sources as somehow involved in terrorist attacks or organizations. This list does not purport to be globally comprehensive-it is limited solely to international incidents or other incidents of sufficient import to be included in previous chronologies. This list is not intended to be used as a terrorist watch list or supplant those used by law enforcement, homeland security, and other authorities around the world. It is rather offered to give students of the discipline a starting point for understanding the phenomenon of terrorism.
- Credo This link opens in a new window
Provides access to authoritative content from subject encyclopedias and handbooks covering every major subject.
Blogs & Websites
- Global Terrorism Research ProjectFounded and maintained by the Political Science Department at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, this blog has two parts: an index of al-Qaeda statements and a list of resources. The resources section is a series of links to useful materials from books and primary sources to blogs; the al-Qaeda Statements index includes official statements since 1994.
