Why do hard-line terrorists decide to leave their organizations and quit the world of terror and destruction? This is the question for which Julie Chernov Hwang seeks answers in Why Terrorists Quit.

Over the course of six years Chernov Hwang conducted more than one hundred interviews with current and former leaders and followers of radical Islamist groups in Indonesia. Using what she learned from these radicals she examines the reasons they rejected physical force and extremist ideology, slowly moving away from, or in some cases completely leaving, groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah, Mujahidin KOMPAK, Ring Banten, Laskar Jihad, and Tanah Runtuh. Why Terrorists Quit considers the impact of various public initiatives designed to encourage radicals to disengage, and follows the lives of five radicals from the various groups, seeking to establish trends, ideas, and reasons for why radicals might eschew violence or quit terrorism.

Chernov Hwang has, with this book, provided a clear picture of why Indonesians disengage from jihadist groups, what the state can do to help them reintegrate into nonterrorist society, and how what happens in Indonesia can be more widely applied beyond the archipelago.

About the Author

Julie Chernov Hwang is an associate professor of political science and international relations at Goucher College. She is the author of Peaceful Islamist Mobilization in the Muslim World.

Reviews

In contrast with studies of terrorism based on group-level inferences, Hwang's study derives from interviews with 55 Indonesians who quit. Their stories offer telling insights into the motivations that foster and sustain terrorism.

* Choice *

An important contribution to the theoretical literature as well as to country case studies on the factors involved in de-radicalization and disengagement from terrorism.

* Perspectives on Terrorism *

The book itself is one of the better expositions on terrorism, being expressed in clear, non-judgmental terms.... Chernov Hwang's book should be required reading for all who have a professional interest in combating violent extremism...

* PACIFIC AFFAIRS *

[French language review]

* Etudes internationales *

Why Terrorists Quit provides the field with unique insights into the disengagement process based on primary source information on groups that fall outside the focus of mainstream terrorism studies. The insights provided in the book not only inform our understanding of the disengagement process but also provide a solid foundation for future research on the links between radicalization, disengagement, and reintegration.

* Terrorism and Political Violence *



Book Information
ISBN 9781501710827
Author Julie Chernov Hwang
Format Hardback
Page Count 230
Imprint Cornell University Press
Publisher Cornell University Press
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 24mm