Thousands of people have died at the hands of terrorist groups who rely on state support for their activities. Iran and Syria are well known as sponsors of terrorism, while other countries, some with strong connections to the West, have enabled terrorist activity by turning a blind eye. Daniel Byman's hard-hitting and articulate book is the first to analyze this phenomenon. Focusing primarily on sponsors from the Middle East and South Asia, it examines the different types of support that states provide, their motivations, and the impact of such sponsorship. The book also considers regimes that allow terrorists to raise money and recruit without providing active support. The experiences of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Libya are detailed here, alongside the histories of radical groups such as al-Qaida and Hizballah. The book concludes by assessing why it is often difficult to force sponsors to cut ties to terrorist groups and suggesting ways in which it could be done better in the future.
• Features histories of radical groups such as al-Qaida, Hizballah, and Hamas • Articulate analysis of the phenomenon of state-sponsored terrorism • Written by senior Rand Corporation analyst and international security consultant
Contents
1. Introduction; 2. Why do states support terrorism?; 3. The nature and impact of state support; 4. Iran and the Lebanese Hizballah; 5. Syria and Palestinian radical groups; 6. Pakistan and Kashmir; 7. Afghanistan under the Taliban; 8. Passive sponsors of terrorism; 9. The difficulties of stopping state sponsorship; 10. Halting support for terrorism.
Reviews
' … effectively and persuasively shows the links between states and the terrorist groups they support … Daniel Byman has made a significant contribution to our understanding of the nature of modern terrorism. Deadly Connections belongs on the shelf of all those committed to fighting terrorism.' Democratiya
'… Byman's study is a helpful primer of the relation between states and terrorist organizations.' International Feminist Journal of Politics
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