Who Becomes a Terrorist and Why: The 1999 Government Report on Profiling Terrorists

by Rex A. Hudson

The U.S. government's official profile of terrorists, who they are, why they hate America, and how they might attack.

Genres: Nonfiction, War, Terrorism

241 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Mike Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid book that does a good job of looking at terrorism as a complex phenomenon and terrorists as having complex motivations. This is not your basic "they attack us because they hate freedom!" uninformed diatribe. This is a serious look at who becomes a terrorist and why, and how terrorist organizations actually operate. The book ranges of psychological, sociological, and strategic motivations--and while it gives most credence to the first, the latter are certainly not dismissed. A thought-provoking book for anyone interested in how terrorists actually operate.

[Lizzy Tonkin]

a few sections of this report were especially haunting—

“Bin Laden is the prototype of a new breed of terrorist—the private entrepreneur who puts modern enterprise at the service of a global terrorist network.”

And

“Mentally unbalanced individuals have been especially attracted to airplane hijacking…profiles of mentally hijacker’s would seem to be of little, if any, use in detecting a potential hijacker in advance. A useful profile would probably have to identify physical or behavioral traits that might alert authorities to a potential terrorist before a suspect is allowed to board an aircraft, that is, if hijackers have identifiable personality qualities. In the meantime, weapons detection, passenger identification, and onboard security guards may be the only preventive measures. Even then, an individual wanting to hijack an airplane can often find a way.”

[Jay Westermann]

I keep this book on the shelf because it usually starts a funny conversation or it really freaks people out. I've never read it, but the implications of having it next to a book about bjork and a medical dictionary are just too good to pass up. It was in the dollar bin at work one day, so it's a good buy.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting analysis of terrorism. Worth reading. Worth talking about. Readable while still being academic. Talks about terrorist personalities, terrorist recruiting processes, a few different terrorist organizations.

[Steven]

Solid info. A little dated (1999) being in the pre-911 days, but the profiles are good.

[Johnny · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is just a book version of a report for the government. The report itself wasn't very informative on what the title would make you think the book is about, but the information they give about individuals and groups was informative. The only reason why I'm giving it 2 stars, and not 1 is the appendix that has profiles on different groups and individuals, which was very informative.
I was just disappointed that it didn't give too much info on what drives people to terrorism. It was mainly historical references. The author really never gave any concrete answers or opinions. It was all what ifs and maybes.

Ignoring these flaws, it was just a flat-out boring read. Towards the end, I was just digging deep and forcing myself to finish it. I hate doing that with books.

[Anne Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a scholarly treatise on terrorism and terrorist groups, with numerous references to source materials. Predating the attacks of 9/11, some of the observations made are strikingly predictive of that event. I found the constant referrals to the glossary a bit distracting, and of course the work is a bit dated, but it is still excellent reading for those wanting a thorough overview of terrorism, terrorist acts, and the terrorists themselves immediately preceding the turn of the century.

[Denis D · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finally, some answers!

Who? Anybody.
Why? Many reasons.