Search Guides
Homeland Security Subject Guide
Terrorism
This tab lists databases, books, and websites specific to terrorism. It is intended to be used in tandem with the Homeland Security Essentials tab which includes the databases and other resources most relevant to homeland security overall.
Links are followed by an "info" icon--hover over the icon to see how the resource is relevant to research in terrorism prevention.
Image: members of the Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia at their annual winter survival training in northern Michigan.
Websites
-
Brookings Institute Terrorism & Extremist page - Relevance: links to reports on terrorism from the Brookings Institute.
-
RAND Database of Worldwide Terrorism Incidents - Relevance: a compilation of data from 1968 through 2009 with over 40,000 incidents of terrorism coded and detailed.
-
The September 11 Digital Archive - Relevance: the Archive contains more than 150,000 digital items, a tally that includes more than 40,000 emails and other electronic communications, more than 40,000 first-hand stories, and more than 15,000 digital images.
-
Southern Poverty Law Center - Relevance: the Center is internationally known for tracking and exposing the activities of hate groups and other domestic extremists.
-
Suicide Attack Database - Relevance: includes data on all suicide attacks from 1982 through November 2014 including information about the location of attacks, the target type, the weapon used, and systematic information on the demographic and general biographical characteristics of suicide attackers.
-
Terrorism & Extremist Violence in the US (TEVUS) Database - Relevance: integrates data sets to facilitate more robust and sophisticated analyses of the behaviors, operations, and activities of violent extremists within the United States
Government Publications
-
CIA and the War on Terrorism - Relevance: a timeline of events since 9/11 with links to official documents.
-
FBI Terrorism page - Relevance: terrorism definitions; current threat; related webpages, and terrorism news.
-
Homeland Security: Preventing Terrorism - Relevance: an overview about preventing terrorism; critical infrastructure security; the National Terrorism Advisory system; IEDs; WOMD; and more.
-
ICE, Counterterrorism and Criminal Exploitation Unit - Relevance: this unit investigates non-immigrant visa holders who violate their immigration status and places a high priority on scrutinizing the activities of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist associations. It also combats criminal exploitation of the student visa system.
-
Library of Congress Terrorism Resources Portal Focuses on legal aspects of terrorism and terrorist.
-
National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Check out the "Counterterrorism Calendar" which provides information on known terrorist groups, individual terrorists, and technical information on topics such as biological and chemical threats. The Calendar also marks dates that terrorists may believe are important if planning attacks to commemorate particular events.
-
National Institute of Justice Terrorism page Supports the need to expand existing policing and transnational crime portfolios to help respond to terrorism. In the past, NIJ has supported research about U.S. domestic right- and left-wing terrorism, but until now little research has been conducted on international terrorism.
-
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Counterterrorism - Mission: to forge partnerships with non-state actors, multilateral organizations, and foreign governments to advance the counterterrorism objectives and national security of the United States.
-
United Nations Office of Counterterrorism Enhances coordination and coherence across the 38 Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force entities to ensure the balanced implementation of the four pillars of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
Article Databases
-
Business Source Complete - Relevance: business articles back as far as 1886, including academic articles and industry reports related to issues in terrorism.
-
Communication and Mass Media Complete - Relevance: how terrorism is portrayed in the media and other communications.
-
EconLit - Relevance: economic literature with more than a million records from 1969-present including cost effectiveness for terrorism prevention initiatives.
-
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection - Relevance: 575 full text publications in psychology; coping with terrorism, terrorism recruitment, mentality of suicide bombers, etc.
-
PsycINFO - Relevance: 77 peer-reviewed scholarly and scientific journals in psychology; coping with terrorism, terrorism recruitment, mentality of suicide bombers, etc.
-
Roper Center For Public Opinion Research - Relevance: examines public opinion on social issues, politics, pop culture, international affairs, and more.
Religion & Philosophy Databases
-
Brill Islamic Studies Online: Reference Works - Relevance: searchable full text access to the following titles: Encyclopedia of Islam, Encyclopedia of Islam Three, Encyclopedia of the Qur’an, and Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures. We have access to the titles with a green box next to them.
-
Religion and Philosophy Collection - Relevance: religious and ethical attitudes related to terrorism.
Book Spotlight
-
Terrorist Criminal Enterprises: Financing Terrorism Through Organized Crime
by
Terrorist groups have evolved from orthodox global insurgents funded by rogue sponsors into nimble and profitable transnational criminal enterprises whose motivations are not always evident. This volume seeks to explain how and why terrorist groups are often now criminal enterprises through 12 case studies of terrorist criminal enterprises written by authors who have derived their expertise on terrorism and/or organized crime from diverse sources. Terrorist groups have been chosen from different regions to provide the global coverage.
