Joseph M. Brown's "Force of Words: The Logic of Terrorist Threats"

Session Submission Type: Virtual Author meet critics

Session Description

(Note: panel submitted by a Section 19 member.) This panel focuses on “Force of Words: The Logic of Terrorist Threats,” Joseph Brown’s groundbreaking study of how terrorist organizations use threats to achieve their coercive goals. Brown shows how violent non state actors use threats, true and false, to advance key outcomes such as social control, economic attrition, and policy concessions. Threats are integral to terrorism on a tactical level as well, misdirecting security forces, drawing them into ambushes, and warning civilians out of harm’s way when terrorists seek to limit casualties. By highlighting the power of terrorists’ words in addition to their actions, this book reorients the field of terrorism studies toward the symbolic, psychological dimension that makes this form of conflict distinctive. Professor Brown (UMass Boston) will be joined on the panel by Professors Mia Bloom (Georgia State), Peter Krause (Boston College), Brian Phillips (University of Essex), and Charles Mahoney (California State Long Beach).

Sub Unit

• Division 21: Conflict Processes

Chair

• Peter Krause Boston College

Presenters

• Joseph Brown University of Massachusetts Boston

• Peter Krause Boston College

• Brian J. Phillips University of Essex

• Charles W. Mahoney California State University, Long Beach

• Erin Kearns