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Matthew Carr, The Infernal Machine: A History of Terrorism New Press, 2008

Terrorists, we are told, threaten our freedom and democracy. What does this kind of rhetoric ignore, and what kind of governmental violence does it justify? Matthew Carr calls attention to a tradition, beginning in the 19th century, of using violence against symbolic targets to achieve a political victory. He also discusses the Mau Mau in Kenya and the counterterrorism initiatives of the Reagan era.

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Eleanor Bader, Targets of Hatred: Anti-Abortion Terrorism St. Martin's Press, 2001

Eleanor Bader's blog at RH Reality Check

Domestic terrorism comes in many forms, including the kind perpetrated by the killer of abortion provider George Tiller and that practiced by the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Eleanor Bader puts Dr. Tiller's May 31 slaying in Wichita in political and historical context. And Susan Choi's latest novel A Person of Interest was inspired by the Unabomber's attacks on scholars.

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Matthew Carr, The Infernal Machine: A History of Terrorism The New Press, 2008

Terrorists, we are told, threaten our freedom and democracy. What does this kind of rhetoric ignore, and what kind of governmental violence does it justify? Matthew Carr calls attention to a tradition, beginning in the 19th century, of using violence against symbolic targets to achieve a political victory. He also discusses the Mau Mau in Kenya and the counterterrorism initiatives of the Reagan era.