1. Contemporary Terrorism and Brutality 2. Terrorism Perpetrated by Individuals 3. Terrorist Group Brutality and the Emergence of Islamic State 4. Financing Brutality: The Rotten Kid Theorem 5. Terrorist Financing: Portfolios of fundraising and transfer methods 6. Attack Methods: How the terrorist chooses 7. Imitating the Brutality of Others 8. The Path towards Terrorism: Prudence and time delay 9. Where Will the Terrorist Attack? 10. Prospect Theory and Geographic Profiling 11. Terrorism Perpetrated by Females 12. Brutality and Survival 13. Terrorism Defines the Terrorist, Brutality Defines Terrorism
Brutality is the defining characteristic of terrorism. It is despairing to learn that this brutality is the outcome of purposeful, rational, human behaviour. In this purposefulness, however, there lies the key to the interpretation, explanation and understanding of terrorist behaviour. Ultimately, it is in this purposefulness that we shall also find the key to overcoming terrorism. Economic analysis highlights this purposefulness, this rationality, and in doing so provides a different perspective from which to approach the threat of terrorism and the task of pre-empting and pursuing its perpetrators. This book develops this economic perspective within a series of important contexts, each characterised by particular types of terrorist behaviour, choices and strategies.