ABSTRACT
Understanding and dening terrorism In the late 1970s, Michael Stohl authored an introduction to the book The Politics of Terrorism1 entitled “Myths and Realities of Political Terrorism.” Referring to terrorism, he notes, “The burgeoning journalistic and scholarly literature that has resulted from this increased awareness has unfortunately not been accompanied by a commensurate increase in the understanding of the phenomenon” (p. 1).1 Here we are some 30-plus years later, and has anything changed? Does the law enforcement community understand any better? The answer is no. If academics and scholars are continually struggling to understand terrorism and its repercussions, it is probable that law enforcement personnel are just beginning to understand and address the matter. This chapter is designed to aid the law enforcement community in understanding and dening terrorism, terrorist activity, and potential threats.
