The freedom fighter : a terrorist's own story /
The ability of terrorist groups to inflict death and destruction has markedly increased with technology advances in the areas of communication, transportation and weapon capability. Using these new tools and networks, terrorists now seek to inflict mass casualties worldwide. Given these realities, i...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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New York :
Routledge,
[2018]
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| Summary: | The ability of terrorist groups to inflict death and destruction has markedly increased with technology advances in the areas of communication, transportation and weapon capability. Using these new tools and networks, terrorists now seek to inflict mass casualties worldwide. Given these realities, it is essential to research the factors that underlie a terrorist group's origins, grievances and demands. Such insights might help others respond more effectively to insurgencies, especially when military campaigns to capture or kill every terrorist have proven unsuccessful. The Freedom Fighter: A Terrorist's Own Story explores why so many Kurdish people, especially young adults, join the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and conduct terrorist acts. Inspired by the ground-breaking classic, The Jack-Roller: A Delinquent Boy's Own Story, by Clifford R. Shaw, the author explores the issue of radicalization into terrorist organizations through the life-history method, enabling a PKK terrorist, or "freedom fighter," to tell his story. Over a five-month period, the author interviewed "Deniz," a high-level PKK terrorist in a Turkish prison, who during his time in the PKK rose from the lowest level to near the top in terms of terrorist operations. This riveting life history, told in Deniz's own words, provides unique insights into why someone becomes a "freedom fighter" and what such a life entails. The account provides extensive information on the PKK, including the group's recruitment, ideological and military training, armed strategies, internal structures and code of ethics, treament of women and goals for peace. Deniz's story not only explains why more Kurdish "freedom fighters" will be recruited to engage in terrorist acts, but also facilitates understanding of how "normal people" can become involved in conflict and organizations that are designated as "terrorist groups." |
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| Physical Description: | xviii, 479 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages [460]-464) and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781138104518 1138104515 9781138104501 1138104507 9781315102221 1315102226 |