A Theory of International Terrorism Understanding Islamic Militancy Ali Khan

Exploring the phenomenology and ontology of international terrorism through the lens of legal theory, the author argues that the terrorism arises out of the pathology of the nation state. In this construction, the terrorism of Muslim militants is co-dependent on state terrorism, while the introduction of moral, material, financial, and military assistance to militants by supportive entities turns it into a triangular relationship. The author also critiques analyses of Islamic terrorism that essentialize the issues by contentions that Islamic militants wish to impose their own values on others or that jihad is an intrinsic part of Islam. Instead of these false arguments, he says, it is important to look at the concrete grievances of Muslim communities that arise from the system of nation-states. He concludes with a discussion of his theory of the "Free State," a territorial unit with administrative but not sovereign borders. If Israel/Palestine could evolve into a "Free State," he suggests, the problem of Islamic and Israeli state terrorism would come to an end. Indeed, the logical conclusion of his argument is that the world could evolve into one global "Free State," thus putting an end to terrorism once and for all. Martinus Nijhoff is an imprint of Brill. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)