Bradley, Curtis A. And Jack L. Goldsmith

Bradley, Curtis A. And Jack L. Goldsmith "Congressional Authorization and the War on Terrorism," Harvard Law Review 118.2047 (2004): 2047-2133.

This article reviews the legal propriety of the United States actions in Iran and Afghanistan in response to the actions of the terrorists. It raises concerns whether the American actions were appropriate and whether actions against terrorist who are unaffiliated with any national authority are legally appropriate. The authors also consider to what extent the U.S. government has authority to detain and try terrorists. After setting the stage on these issues, however, the article goes on to justify the actions of the Bush administration and defend the right of the executive branch to assert the authority of the U.S. military without congressional authority when the circumstances demand it. Further, the authors defend the right of the United States to pursue terrorists in attempt to defend the nation's integrity and safety.

Cassese, Antonio "Terrorism is Also Disrupting Some Crucial Legal Categories of International

Law," European Journal of International Law 12.5 (2001): 993-1001.

Most articles published subsequent to 9/11 addressed the social implications of terrorists' acts and the reactions of governments to those acts. This article, however, addresses how the legal community should adjust to the terrorist acts both from the standpoint of international law and how the United States could legally take offensive actions against the terrorists specifically and the countries harboring the terrorists more generally. The author extensively reviews the legal development of the concept of terrorism and how terrorism has been redefined by changing conditions in the world. The United States' rationalization of self-defense as an explanation for its post 9/11 actions is analyzed from a legal point-of-view.

Crenshaw, Martha "The Psychology of Terrorism," Political Psychology 21.2 (2002): 405-420.

Despite its influence and effect very little study has been done by educated researchers into the concept of terrorism. The author of article theorizes that in order to fully understand the dynamics of terrorism research needs to be initiated that collects relative data and analyses the concept like any other social phenomena. The author is critical of those who view terrorism and terrorist as suffering from some form of psychological dysfunction or "irrationality." She views such thinking as being counterproductive to the process of understanding the motivation of such individuals and that until such time as this is done progress toward understanding terrorism and its effect will not be made. The author's theory is that the only way to combat terrorism is to understand it.

Cronin, Audrey Kurth "Behind the Curve: Globalization and International Terrorism,"

International Security 27.3 (2002): 30-58.

The author of this article examines how globalization, political problems among the Arab nations, and terrorism are related. In doing so, the author theorizes that the United States failure in adjusting to the changes in the world due to globalization and its inconsistent political position in the Middle East has contributed to the growth and success of terrorism. Ms. Cronin theorizes that the American government and its elected and appointed leaders rely too heavily upon dated policies and attitudes that are largely ineffective against terrorism. She advocates that the United States government must develop new and enlightened ideas that balance the new ideas and approaches that are emanating throughout the developing nations. In order to combat terrorism the United States must find a way to connect with the nations responsible for harboring and supporting the terrorist groups. Cronin argues that unless the Unites States develops a new approach to dealing with terrorism and developing nations it is danger of losing its authority in the world.

Enders, Walter and Todd Sandler "Is Transnational Terrorism Becoming More Threatening? A

Time-Series Investigation" The Journal of Conflict Resolution 44.3 (2000): 307-332.

This article precedes the events of 9/11 and provides insight into how terrorism was viewed prior to 9/11. Interestingly, the author makes a point that transnational terrorism had actually decreased subsequent to the end of the cold war period but he also tellingly warns that it remained a significant threat. In the article the authors review three separate incidents of terrorism and analyzes that even though actual incidents have decreased the level of violence has increased. In performing their analysis they forecast that as transnational terrorism has decreased it can be expected that religiously related terrorism can be expected to increase. In the context of the article the authors discuss the inherent risks involved in battling religion-based terrorism and forecasts what effect this may have on how governments battle terrorism in the future.

Hoffman, Bruce and Gordon H. McCormick "Terrorism, Signaling, and Suicide Attack," Studies

in Conflict and Terrorism 27.4 (2004): 243-281.

Suicide bombings as an act of terrorism have been used effectively by terrorist groups. This article examines how the strategy to use such method developed and how suicide bombings have been used as a method for terrorist groups to popularize their existence and intentions. The authors examine how effective the suicide bombings have been both as a signaling mechanism and in spreading the message of the terrorist organization. The research of the authors was done through reviews of the Palestinian terrorist organization and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Krueger, Alan B. And Jitka Maleckova "Education, Poverty, Political Violence and Terrorism: Is

There a Causal Connection?" Journal of Economic Perspectives 17.4 (2003): 119-144.

This article examines whether there is a correlation between poverty or low education and participation in terrorist activities. The authors detail the factors that lead individuals to participate hate crimes and, through a review of the applicable literature, they find that there is no correlation between poor economic conditions and the occurrence of hate crimes. The focus of this article is on the terrorism perpetrated by the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the authors categorically argue that higher educational achievement and a better socio-economic background do not impact on one's willingness to participate in violent terrorist activities. According to the authors participation in terrorist organizations transcends education and economics. Instead, participation is grounded in factors such as ideology or religious conviction.

Lerner, Jennifer S. And Roxana M. Gonzalez, Deborah A. Small, Baru "Fear and Anger on Perceived Risks of Terrorism: A National Field Experiment." Psychological Science. 14.2 (2003): 144-150.

The aftermath of September 11, 2001 resulted in a great number of changes and created the need for the American citizenry to review their own behavior. One of these behaviors was how individual citizens reacted emotionally to risk, both actual and perceived. The authors of the article performed a series of tests, based on appraisal-tendency theory, the effects of anger and fear on risk judgments and policy preferences. The studies' sample size was 973 individuals, both male and female, between the ages of 13 to 88. The results of the study were that fear and angry associated with terrorism altered the beliefs and attitudes in regard to matters involving national interest. Those tested who exhibited more anger also eventually felt more optimistic about the future while those who experienced more fear triggered greater pessimism. The study also found that these affects remained consistent without regard to whether the risk was originated by terror activities or non-terror activities.