Introduction to Counter-Terrorism

Welcome to our Introductory Guide to Counter-Terrorism! In this course, we seek to give you a snapshot into the world of counter-terrorism, along with key challenges and case studies.

This program was designed to provide students with brief, accessible capsules of information on combating terror. It is not meant to be a comprehensive encyclopedia on the subject. Instead, it prioritizes vital issues such as definitional problems, historical origins, legal frameworks and contemporary trends. Moreover, it attempts to do all this with coherent, short snippets of analysis that even a complete beginner can follow.

The objective of these lectures is not to make our students overnight specialists in a niche aspect of counter-terrorism. Rather, it is to grant insight into the bigger picture by focusing on critical questions for which there are no easy answers. Who is a terrorist? How do we deal with them? What are the terror-prone regions in today’s world? Where do the prominent terror groups operate? Why is it that they function the way they do? How do they manage to harm civilians? These are some of the questions explored.

This is a course meant for students of all skill levels, so we do hope you enjoy the experience!