Richard Jackson | University of Otago (original) (raw)

Books by Richard Jackson

In a claustrophobic, concrete cell, two men face each other across a bare table. One is a wanted ... more In a claustrophobic, concrete cell, two men face each other across a bare table. One is a wanted terrorist, the other a British intelligence officer. But this is no ordinary interrogation, and as they talk deep into the night and violent secrets are revealed, the line between interrogator and confessor begins inextricably to blur. Who, then, is the real terrorist? And will they pay for their guilt in blood?

Contemporary Debates on Terrorism is an innovative new textbook, addressing a number of key issue... more Contemporary Debates on Terrorism is an innovative new textbook, addressing a number of key issues in contemporary terrorism studies from both 'traditional' and 'critical' perspectives.

In recent years the terrorism studies field has grown significantly, with an increasing number of scholars beginning to debate the complex dynamics underlying this category of violence. Within the broader field, there are many identifiable controversies and issues which divide scholarly opinion, a number of which are discussed in this text:

Theoretical issues, such as the definition of terrorism and state terrorism;

Substantive issues, including the threat posed by al Qaeda and the utility of different responses to terrorism;

Ethical issues, encompassing the torture of terrorist suspects and targeted assassination

The format of the volume involves a leading scholar taking a particular position on the controversy, followed by an opposing or alternative viewpoint written by another contributor. In addition to the pedagogic value of allowing students to read opposing arguments in one place, the volume will also be important for providing an overview of the state of the field and its key lines of debate.

The first upper-level undergraduate textbook which adopts an explicitly 'critical' approach to th... more The first upper-level undergraduate textbook which adopts an explicitly 'critical' approach to the study of terrorism.

In response to the growth of a critical perspective on contemporary issues of terrorism, this edi... more In response to the growth of a critical perspective on contemporary issues of terrorism, this edited volume brings together a number of leading scholars to debate the new subfield of 'critical terrorism studies'.

In the years since the 9/11 attacks, terrorism studies has undergone a major transformation from minor subfield of security studies into a large stand-alone field, and is probably one of the fastest expanding areas of research in the Western academic world. However, much of the literature is beset by a number of problems, limiting its potential for producing rigorous empirical findings and genuine theoretical advancement. In response to these weaknesses in the broader field, a small but increasing number of scholars have begun to articulate a critical perspective on contemporary issues of terrorism. This volume brings together a number of leading scholars to debate the need for and the shape of this exciting new subfield.The first part of the volume examines some of the main shortcomings and limitations of orthodox terrorism studies, while the second examines exactly what a 'critical' terrorism studies would look like. Contributors from a variety of methodological and disciplinary perspectives give this volume diversity, and it will lay the foundations for, and provoke debate about, the future research agenda of this new field.

This book will be of much interest to students of critical security studies, terrorism studies and IR theory in general.

Writing the war on terrorism examines the public language of the war on terrorism, and the way th... more Writing the war on terrorism examines the public language of the war on terrorism, and the way that rhetoric has been used to justify the global counter-terrorism offensive as a response to 9/11. It discusses how language has been used to deliberately manipulate public anxiety about terrorist threats to gain support for military action, and how the abuse of Iraqi prisoners has been normalised through rhetoric and practice.

It explains how the war on terrorism has been reproduced and amplified by key social actors and how it has become the dominant political narrative in America today, enjoying widespread bipartisan and popular support. The author argues that the normalisation and institutionalisation of the administration’s current counter-terrorism approach is damaging to society’s ethical values and to democratic political participation.

Lying at the intersection of international relations, American politics, terrorism studies, discourse analysis, communication studies and cultural studies, this book will have genuine interdisciplinary appeal.

In the past, arbitration, direct bargaining, the use of intermediaries, and deference to internat... more In the past, arbitration, direct bargaining, the use of intermediaries, and deference to international institutions were relatively successful tools for managing interstate conflict. In the face of terrorism, intrastate wars, and the multitude of other threats in the post–Cold War era, however, the conflict resolution tool kit must include preventive diplomacy, humanitarian intervention, regional task-sharing, and truth commissions. Here, Jacob Bercovitch and Richard Jackson, two internationally recognized experts, systematically examine each one of these conflict resolution tools and describe how it works and in what conflict situations it is most likely to be effective.

Conflict Resolution in the Twenty-first Century is not only an essential introduction for students and scholars, it is a must-have guide for the men and women entrusted with creating stability and security in our changing world.

This volume aims to ‘bring the state back into terrorism studies’ and fill the notable gap that c... more This volume aims to ‘bring the state back into terrorism studies’ and fill the notable gap that currently exists in our understanding of the ways in which states employ terrorism as a political strategy of internal governance or foreign policy.

Within this broader context, the volume has a number of specific aims. First, it aims to make the argument that state terrorism is a valid and analytically useful concept which can do much to illuminate our understanding of state repression and governance, and illustrate the varieties of actors, modalities, aims, forms, and outcomes of this form of contemporary political violence. Secondly, by discussing a rich and diverse set of empirical case studies of contemporary state terrorism this volume explores and tests theoretical notions, generates new questions and provides a resource for further research. Thirdly, it contributes to a critical-normative approach to the study of terrorism more broadly and challenges dominant approaches and perspectives which assume that states, particularly Western states, are primarily victims and not perpetrators of terrorism. Given the scarceness of current and past research on state terrorism, this volume will make a genuine contribution to the wider field, particularly in terms of ongoing efforts to generate more critical approaches to the study of political terrorism.

This book will be of much interest to students of critical terrorism studies, critical security studies, terrorism and political violence and political theory in general.

Papers by Richard Jackson

Critical Studies on Terrorism, 2009

Australian Journal of International Affairs, Apr 1, 2001

... We might also add that weak states possess external sovereignty as well, and efforts need to ... more ... We might also add that weak states possess external sovereignty as well, and efforts need to be made to strengthen regional organisations and their functional capacity for con ict resolution, regional security, arms control, coordi-nated trade, economic harmonisation, norm ...

Oxford University Press eBooks, Mar 26, 2022

This chapter explores non-violent responses to terrorism. It notes the main failures and limitati... more This chapter explores non-violent responses to terrorism. It notes the main failures and limitations of violent or force-based counterterrorism, before examining alternative non-violent approaches used to reduce the incidence of terrorism and transform violent conflict into political conflict. The most common alternative approach in an effort of conflict resolution and promoting a political settlement is the use of dialogue and negotiations. The chapter also discusses the literature on suggestions and guidance for further developing approaches to non-violent counterterrorism such as non-violent resistance, unarmed peacekeeping, non-warring communities, and social defence. Sondre Lindahl's critical theory of counterterrorism is based on principles such as needing to treat terrorism as a political phenomenon and aiming for more than the elimination of terrorists.

Oxford University Press eBooks, Dec 17, 2015

<p>This chapter focuses on regime security, the condition where governing elites are secure... more <p>This chapter focuses on regime security, the condition where governing elites are secure from violent challenges to their rule, and the unique security dilemma facing many developing countries. It first considers the security threats facing states with weak institutional and coercive capacity and lack of national cohesion — the so-called weak states — before describing the kinds of security strategies that weak-state elites often adopt to try and manage their predicament. In particular, it examines the weak states' 'insecurity dilemma', a security environment in which the primary threats to security originate from internal rather than external sources. The chapter proceeds with an analysis of several competing theoretical explanations for how the weak state predicament arose and why it persists. It concludes with an assessment of international attempts to build security in weak states, along with the long-term prospects of transforming weak states into strong states.</p>

Routledge eBooks, Apr 28, 2020

University of Illinois Press eBooks, Apr 20, 2017

This chapter argues that despite all the media attention, punditry, scholarly analysis, and offic... more This chapter argues that despite all the media attention, punditry, scholarly analysis, and official commentary, Osama bin Laden&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s death remains an essentially meaningless (non-)event. His death is meaningless or without consequence in two main senses of the word. First, it is meaningless in real-world strategic and material terms. For example, as a direct consequence of bin Laden&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s death, no counterterrorism programs have been scaled back or ended, counterterrorism laws repealed, military or security funding reduced, security agencies scaled down or closed, foreign training programs ended, overseas military forces withdrawn, or military bases closed. Instead, the global counterterrorism effort remains completely unchanged by his death and continues on as it has for the past ten years. Second, and perhaps more importantly, bin Laden&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s death has generated so many divergent meanings that it has been rendered ultimately meaningless in terms of its analytical consequences, symbolism, and epistemological significance.

Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Feb 21, 2023

Journal of Peace Research, 2000

Negotiation in violent international conflict has not often been studied using systematic large- ... more Negotiation in violent international conflict has not often been studied using systematic large- N comparisons. This article utilizes an original dataset of international disputes and negotiation efforts occurring in the 1945-95 period to assess the character of international negotiation and to examine the contextual and process variables which affect negotiation outcomes. These variables are classed under three categories: (1) the nature of the dispute; (2) the nature of the parties and their ongoing relationship; and (3) conflict management characteristics, or process factors. In the study, a preliminary analysis is undertaken to determine the nature and degree to which the variables in each of these categories affect negotiation outcomes. The results indicate that from the first two categories, dispute intensity, dispute complexity, the underlying issues, the relative power of the parties, the alignment of the parties, and the parties' previous relations all impact on negotia...

International Politics, 2011

This article explores the social and political construction of US counterterrorism policy since t... more This article explores the social and political construction of US counterterrorism policy since the onset of the war on terrorism. The first part of the article focuses on the period of the Bush administration. It explores the cultural grammar expressed in the language of the war on terror, as well as administration attempts to 'sell' the policy to the American public. In addition, it explores the ways in which the war on terror has been institutionalised in counterterrorism practices and institutions, and how it has been normalised and embedded in American popular culture and linked by the national identity narratives surrounding '9/11' and the negative ideograph of 'terrorism', to American identity. Section two of the article explores the discourse and practice of the war on terrorism in the initial period of the Obama administration. It questions the extent to which counterterrorism policy can be rewritten, given the degree to which it accords with the deep cultural grammar of American identity and is now a well-established ideograph, the extent to which it has been institutionalised in American political practice and embedded in American culture and the ways in which it is rooted in the politicaleconomic interests of the American polity and empire. Finally, the article briefly reflects on questions of change and identity in the construction of US foreign policy.

Critical Studies on Terrorism, 2008

... Counter-terrorism and communities: an interview with Robert Lambert. ... The other problem wa... more ... Counter-terrorism and communities: an interview with Robert Lambert. ... The other problem was more serious and arose when a terrorist suspect was arrested and detectives arrested many known associates without having any evidence of their involvement. ...

Critical Studies on Terrorism, 2008

Having launched the first issue of Critical Studies on Terrorism, and with the second part of the... more Having launched the first issue of Critical Studies on Terrorism, and with the second part of the Symposium on the state of terrorism studies ready for publication, this is an opportune moment to stand back and reflect on where we are, and where we are headed.

Armed Forces & Society, 2003

Theoretical issues, such as the definition of terrorism and state terrorism;

Substantive issues, including the threat posed by al Qaeda and the utility of different responses to terrorism;

Ethical issues, encompassing the torture of terrorist suspects and targeted assassination

This book will be of much interest to students of critical security studies, terrorism studies and IR theory in general.

This book will be of much interest to students of critical terrorism studies, critical security studies, terrorism and political violence and political theory in general.

Critical Studies on Terrorism, 2009

Australian Journal of International Affairs, Apr 1, 2001

Oxford University Press eBooks, Mar 26, 2022

Oxford University Press eBooks, Dec 17, 2015

Routledge eBooks, Apr 28, 2020

University of Illinois Press eBooks, Apr 20, 2017

Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Feb 21, 2023

Journal of Peace Research, 2000

International Politics, 2011

Critical Studies on Terrorism, 2008

Armed Forces & Society, 2003

Government and Opposition, 2007

The term ‘Islamic terrorism’ has become a ubiquitous feature of Western political and academic co... more The term ‘Islamic terrorism’ has become a ubiquitous feature of Western political and academic counter-terrorism discourse in recent years. Examining over 300 political and academic texts and employing a discourse analytic approach, this article attempts to describe and dissect the central terms, assumptions, labels, narratives and genealogical roots of the language and knowledge of ‘Islamic terrorism’ and to reflect on its practical and normative consequences. It concludes that for the most part, political and academic discourses of ‘Islamic terrorism’ are unhelpful, not least because they are highly politicized, intellectually contestable, damaging to community relations and practically counter-productive.

Perspectives on Terrorism, 2010

Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 2002

Africa is in a deep and persistent malaise. It is by far the least developed continent economical... more Africa is in a deep and persistent malaise. It is by far the least developed continent economically, and the most conflict-prone politically. In policy-making circles and media characterisations, it is "the hopeless continent" (The Economist May 13-19, 2000). Such pessimism is driven in part by the failure to manage-much less resolve-the destructive consequences of multiple violent conflicts. The ineffectiveness of conflict management efforts by the United Nations, the OAU, sub-regional organisations, or eminent personalities like Nelson Mandela or Jimmy Carter, is itself due in large part to the lack of a conceptual framework for analysing internal turmoil. Without an appropriate diagnosis of the causes of conflict, remedial action becomes a futile, if not dangerous exercise. This article seeks to articulate in preliminary form a framework for understanding and diagnosing the causes of Africa"s multiple internal conflicts. It suggests that these are rooted in the everyday politics and discourses of weak states, rather than in outbreaks of ancient hatreds, the pathology of particular rulers, or the breakdown of normally peaceful domestic systems; and argues that the direction of effective conflict resolution lies in reconfiguring local politics and reconstructing the malformed African state rather than in the "saving failed states" approaches of recent years.

Government and Opposition, 2007

Understanding the causes of contemporary intrastate war is a critical enterprise for a number of ... more Understanding the causes of contemporary intrastate war is a critical enterprise for a number of reasons. First, intrastate war, in which a variety of state-based and non-state groups engage in organized military conflict primarily within the confines of a single state and employing mainly light weapons and unconventional military strategies, is now the dominant form of military conflict in international politics. Empirical studies demonstrate that since 1945, more than 70 per cent of wars have been intrastate rather than interstate in origin; 1 moreover, intrastate wars have comprised more than 90 per cent of all international conflicts since the early 1990s, 2 and there are 30 to 40 intrastate wars underway around the world at any given moment. Traditional interstate war between hierarchically organized state militaries fighting for national interests, which for so long has been the central concern of international relations and security studies, is now in fact, increasingly rare.

Government and Opposition, 2007

That ‘terrorism research’ is mired by epistemological, methodological and political-normative pro... more That ‘terrorism research’ is mired by epistemological, methodological and political-normative problems is well established. What is usually overlooked is that, beyond the difficulties inherent in ‘terrorism research’, these problems are exacerbated by two further factors: the predominance of what Cox called a ‘problem-solving’ approach, and the dispersed nature of much of the more rigorous, ‘critical’ and conceptually innovative research on ‘terrorism’ in cognate fields that, for ideological, theoretical or practical reasons, are reluctant to engage with ‘terrorism studies’. A ‘critical turn’ is needed to reverse both these trends, but it must be inclusive and seek to be policy relevant.

Contemporary Debates on Terrorism, 2012