ABSTRACT
Terrorism has become trendy, not only as a revolutionary means and a threat to order but also as a new and promising field for academic "specialists" who have rushed into a virgin field to sow hurriedly assembled words of wisdom. Every two years, meetings take place in various Italian sites under the auspices of the International School on Disarmament and Research on Conflicts (ISODARCO). Most academics have never met a "terrorist" and find the real-people-approach somewhat disconcerting, being quite content with red steel doors between them and their subject matter. In general, before the Troubles made Ireland trendy in 1969, there were serious problems in contemplating recent history and politics. Many small countries—Norway and Bulgaria—have similar problems: there are only so many indigenous scholars who drift to subjects of personal concern and only so many events that might attract the alien.
