Journal of International Studies

Iran is a major sponsor of terrorism, striking Israel, U.S. Arab allies, and at times Americans. The twin blasts on Tuesday that destroyed the Iranian embassy in Lebanon and killed at least twenty people, however, should remind us that Iran faces a serious terrorism problem of its own. It is tempting to enjoy Iran getting a taste of its own medicine, but the growing violence risks further destabilizing the Middle East and harming U.S. interests there. A History of Violence Since the 1979 Islamic revolution,  Iran has backed an array of terrorist groups . These groups have fostered unrest in Iraq and the oil-rich Gulf Kingdoms, killed Iran’s enemies in Europe, and struck at enemies like Israel and the United States. Most infamously for Americans, Iran has backed the Lebanese Hizballah, providing it with hundreds of millions of dollars, sophisticated arms, and advanced training. Among its many operations, Hizballah in 1983 bombed the U.S. embassy and the Marine barracks hos...

By Christopher L. Daniels Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2012

Birth of the War on Terror Following the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (‘9/11’), the US engaged in a protracted international strategy in what became known as the  War on Terror : ‘an expensive military campaign around the world’ (Katulis & Juul, 2011) ostensibly to find and prosecute those responsible. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s death in May 2011 was thus hailed as a milestone in this struggle, and by 2014 NATO forces are expected to withdraw from former Al-Qaeda stronghold Afghanistan. However, bin Laden was quickly replaced, aggressive counterterror policies have escalated, and the Al-Qaeda  Geist  persists in areas from West Africa to the Middle East (see Jenkins, 2012; Whitehead, 2012; Joscelyn, 2012). While there is no strict consensus on the definition or components of terrorism (Evans & Newnham, 1998:530; Singh & Singh, 2012), a useful description of international terrorism is ‘premeditated, politically motivated violence...

Birth of the War on Terror Following the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (‘9/11’), the US engaged in a protracted international strategy in what became known as the  War on Terror : ‘an expensive military campaign around the world’ (Katulis & Juul, 2011) ostensibly to find and prosecute those responsible. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s death in May 2011 was thus hailed as a milestone in this struggle, and by 2014 NATO forces are expected to withdraw from former Al-Qaeda stronghold Afghanistan. However, bin Laden was quickly replaced, aggressive counterterror policies have escalated, and the Al-Qaeda  Geist  persists in areas from West Africa to the Middle East (see Jenkins, 2012; Whitehead, 2012; Joscelyn, 2012). While there is no strict consensus on the definition or components of terrorism (Evans & Newnham, 1998:530; Singh & Singh, 2012), a useful description of international terrorism is ‘premeditated, politically motivated violence...

Is Global Jihad Our Greatest Adversary?  A Comparative Case Study of Domestic Terrorist Threats in the U.S. and the U.K.

John Kerry, U.S. secretary of state, Catherine Ashton, European Union high representative for foreign affairs, and Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran foreign minister, during the third day of nuclear talks in Geneva on November 9, 2013 (Jean-Christophe Bott/Courtesy Reuters). “ Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and Relevant Provisions of Security Council Resolutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran ,” International Atomic Energy Agency, November 14, 2013. Since Iran began enriching uranium at its declared facilities, it has produced at those facilities: 10   356 kg  (+653 kg since the Director General’s previous report) of UF 6  enriched up to 5% U-235, of which 7154.3 kg (+380.3 kg since the Director General’s previous report) remain in the form of UF 6  enriched up to 5% U-235 and the rest has been further processed (as detailed in paragraphs 22,28 and 41 below) Hon. Matthew G. Olsen, “ The Homeland Threat Landscape and U.S. Response ,” Senate Comm...