The Terrorist List

Mickolus (The Terrorist List: The Middle East), who has written widely on international terrorism, and independent scholar Simmons have teamed up to produce this five-volume compilation of biographical sketches focusing on the reported criminal and terrorist activities of each individual. Purported perpetrators of both international and domestic terrorist acts fall into the work's scope, as do perpetrators of nonpolitical acts of violence or hostage taking. Inclusion should not be taken as proof that the individual was a terrorist, however; as noted in the volume introductions, some have been cleared in local courts of involvement with terrorist organizations. The collection is arranged geographically with volumes for Asia, Pacific, and Sub-Saharan Africa; Western Europe; Eastern Europe; North America; and South America. Each volume is arranged alphabetically and has a short bibliography of selected readings and an index; there is no cumulative index for the entire set. Entries are short, ranging from a couple of sentences to a single page. BOTTOM LINE In the introduction, the authors categorically state that this set is not exhaustive and should not be used as a terrorist watch list. Rather, it is intended to provide students with a starting point for understanding the phenomenon of terrorism and to demonstrate the breadth and complexity of the issue. Unfortunately, the brevity of the entries coupled with the lack of a contextual framework leaves it as little more than a list of terrorists. While of some interest, it has limited utility and is only recommended for schools with programs in security studies.—Ryan Johnson, Univ. of Mississippi Lib., Oxford