Table Of ContentTerrorism
This book adopts an innovative historical approach to Terrorism, focusing
on the weaknesses of terrorist states and organizations as refected in the
ideologies, methodologies and propaganda of Russian populist, National
Socialist and Islamic Terrorism.
Drawing upon multilingual primary sources, the book challenges the oft
repeated claim that the Nazi regime and Islamic State produced propaganda
of superior quality, instead arguing that the manipulation of information is
the Achilles heel of terrorist organizations. It offers a critical examination
of the fears of terrorists themselves, as opposed to the traditional focus on
the fear instilled by terrorist organizations in governments and citizens.
Taking a multidisciplinary approach and long-term history perspective, the
book provides a method for exploring the minds of terrorists and the inner
workings of their organizations and traces the evolution of terrorist thought
and methodology across time and place.
This is the ideal volume for researchers of Terrorism within the felds of
History, Politics, Security Studies, Religious Studies and Legal Studies.
Juan Romero is Associate Professor at Western Kentucky University, USA.
Routledge Studies in Modern History
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A Critical Anthology
Edited by Montse Feu
Crafting Turkish National Identity, 1919–1927
A Rhetorical Approach
Aysel Morin
Citizens and Subjects of the Italian Colonies
Legal Constructions and Social Practices, 1882–1943
Edited by Simona Berhe and Olindo De Napoli
Gandhi After Gandhi
The Relevance of the Mahatma’s Legacy in Today’s World
Edited by Marzia Casolari
The Body in the Anglosphere, 1880–1920
“Well Sexed Womanhood,” “Finer Natives,” and “Very White Men”
Robert W. Thurston
The Barsden Memoirs (1799–1816)
An Australian Transnational Adolescence
Grant Rodwell
Terrorism
The Power and Weakness of Fear
Juan Romero
For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.
com/history/series/MODHIST
Terrorism
The Power and Weakness of Fear
Juan Romero
First published 2022
by Routledge
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and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2022 Juan Romero
The right of Juan Romero to be identifed as author of this work
has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
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or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-1-032-19806-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-19808-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-26094-3 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003260943
Typeset in Times New Roman
by codeMantra
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
1 Ancient, medieval and early modern extremist movements 10
2 Was Russian terrorism a true instrument of the people? 27
3 Methodology of Russian terrorism 49
4 Ideology of the National Socialist terrorist state 75
5 National Socialist propaganda 98
6 Interpretations of jihad 120
7 Rules of jihad 137
8 Precursors to the Islamic State 154
9 Islamic State media production and Islam 179
10 Islamic State legitimacy and perception of the enemy 200
11 The eleven fears of Islamic terrorist organizations 222
12 A comparative evolution of terrorism 241
Conclusion 265
Glossary 273
Index 277
Acknowledgments
I am grateful for the generous support of Western Kentucky University in
the form of a research grant and a sabbatical leave, without which this book
would have taken much longer to see the light of day. This support allowed
me during my sabbatical leave to conduct research in the National Archives
(US), College Park, the Hoover Institution, Palo Alto and the Library of
Congress in Washington, DC.
AUGUST 2021
Introduction
Terrorism is an ancient phenomenon which still besets many societies.
Unlike other problems, which humanity faces such as diseases to many
of which effective treatments have been developed, we have not been very
successful in dealing with militant extremist ideologies. In order to treat
diseases, doctors study symptoms based upon which a diagnosis can be
made. Western medical research has oftentimes developed very aggressive
treatments for various diseases, treating illnesses with potent medication
which may solve one problem but cause multiple other problems in the form
of side effects. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has over the centuries
developed herbal treatments and acupuncture which are very often much
less intrusive with less serious side effects, if any. The approach to terrorism
adopted in this study resembles TCM in so far as it does not focus on mil-
itary action to uproot extremist violence but advocates psychological and
educational measures to combat terrorism. Having said that, the present
author realizes that military action is a part of a comprehensive strategy,
but the subject has been explored in detail in military and counterterrorism
studies already and does not play a role in this work. Other studies on ter-
rorism have pointed at social inequality, injustice and repression as factors
causing radicalization and terrorism.1 The present volume focuses on inoc-
ulation of citizens against terrorism, treating this violent phenomenon as a
‘disease of the mind’. The treatment proposed in this volume can be char-
acterized as nonintrusive immunization, that is, unlike treating evil with a
minor dose of evil, the problem can be addressed by prescribing a natural
solution as protection against the source of contagion. Fortunately, society
already possesses the means successfully to achieve this goal – education.
The educational approach may have the best prospects for success if it em-
ulates a natural learning process, relying on two institutions at a m inimum –
family and school. A problem with society’s current approach to education
is that certain skills are not acquired by students suffciently early. Universi-
ties make efforts to provide opportunities for students to learn and practice
critical thinking, but this is a process which should begin much earlier in
order to become not just second nature but ‘frst’ nature in the minds of
members of society. This is of particular importance in a modern society
DOI: 10.4324/9781003260943-1
