The Age of Lone Wolf Terrorism

Covering characters as diverse as James Earl Ray, Sirhan Sirhan, Mark Essex, Lynnette "Squeaky" Fromme, Ted Kaczynski, Eric Rudolph, Jared Loughner, Wade Page, and Christopher Dorner, Hamm and Spaaij have written an excellent and well-researched survey of lone wolf terrorists in the United States-and a major addition to the field. -- Charles B. Strozier, founding director, Center on Terrorism at John Jay College of Criminal Justice The study of lone wolf terrorism takes a significant leap forward in this important book. Hamm and Spaaij provide a thoughtful analysis and critical insights about the nature of lone wolf terrorism and terrorists. The book is a must-read for scholars, policymakers, and law enforcement officials. -- Steven Chermak, Michigan State University A careful, detailed, original contribution to a vitally important debate. -- Richard English, Distinguished Professorial Fellow, Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security, and Justice, Queen's University Belfast If you read only one book on lone wolf terrorism, this should be it. It sets the benchmark on what we know about this threat and what can be done to safeguard the future. Superb. -- Andrew Silke, University of East London Defined variously as a 'radical loser,' a 'lunatic assassin,' or more grandiosely as a symptom of our fractured political age, the lone wolf terrorist is a much-commented-upon but frequently misunderstood phenomenon. Thankfully, with the publication of Hamm and Spaaij's compelling new work, The Age of Lone Wolf Terrorism, we now have the definitive resource with which to explore both the mindset and the motivations of this most perplexing of political extremists. Crisply written and extraordinarily rich in empirical detail, this is essential reading for students of terrorism, criminologists concerned with political violence, and anyone else interested in the evolving nature of late modern radicalization. -- Keith Hayward, University of Copenhagen A searing, eye-opening, and comprehensive depiction of the evolving nature of terrorism in the United States, The Age of Lone Wolf Terrorism is certain to become essential reading for anyone interested in understanding both the factors leading to terrorism and new ways of approaching counterterrorism. Hamm and Spaaij's detailed analysis of the connection between personal circumstances and contemporary social and political realities shed light on aspects of terrorism that are all too often overlooked. Their work is an indispensable primer for policy makers, counterterrorism experts, and students of terrorism. -- Karen J. Greenberg, Director, Center on National Security, Fordham University The enduring merit of The Age of Lone Wolf Terrorism is that it provides an empirically robust and theoretically nuanced framework for addressing how ordinary individuals can become the agents of extraordinary violence and destruction. -- from the foreword by Simon Cottee