Targets of Terror: Contemporary Assassination

Targets of Terror examines the repercussions of assassination as a tactic of terrorism and delineates post-assassination political outcomes across target types, finding that "softer" targets are often pursued during broader campaigns of terrorist violence and that the Global Terrorism Database records a significant number of these assassination events between 1977 and 2017. Laura N. Bell compares changes in authoritarian, mixed, and tumultuous regimes with democratic governments to illuminate the extent to which the type of assassination target may or may not be linked to significant institutional change.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 194 pages
Publication date: 27 February 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Targets of Terror: Examining the Repercussions of Assassination as a Tactic of Terrorism and Post-Assassination Political Outcomes Across Target Types
Assassination of Heads of State: Rare Events, Significant Political Impact
Assassination of heads of state, such as John F. Kennedy and Yitzhak Rabin, is a rare occurrence, but the political murders of police personnel, local government officials, politicians, and journalists occur frequently. These "softer" targets are often pursued during broader campaigns of terrorist violence, and the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) records a significant number of these assassination events—16,246 to be exact—between 1977 and 2017.

Survival Analysis and the Polity IV Index: Examining the Span of Time from a Terrorist Assassination to Potential Shifts in State Political Institutions
Laura N. Bell utilizes survival analysis and the Polity IV Index to examine the span of time from a terrorist assassination to potential shifts in state political institutions. She compares changes in authoritarian, mixed, and tumultuous regimes with democratic governments to determine the extent to which the type of assassination target may or may not be linked to significant institutional change.

Differences in Post-Assassination Political Outcomes Across Regimes and Targets: A Baseline Study
Bell's study provides a baseline study upon which to build future examinations of the types and severity of risks to governmental institutions during terror campaigns. By establishing differences in post-assassination political outcomes across regimes and targets, Bell highlights the importance of understanding the impact of assassination as a tactic of terrorism on state political institutions.

Conclusion: Targets of Terror: A Critical Analysis of Assassination as a Tactic of Terrorism and Its Post-Assassination Political Consequences
In conclusion, Targets of Terror is a critical analysis of assassination as a tactic of terrorism and its post-assassination political consequences. Bell's study provides a valuable baseline for future examinations of the types and severity of risks to governmental institutions during terror campaigns, highlighting the importance of understanding the impact of assassination on state political institutions.

Weight: 313g
Dimension: 227 x 151 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781538154038