This book is for anyone who is interested in learning about terrorism in all its forms. For over four decades I have studied terrorism, trained to deal with it, dealt with it, and taught it as an academic discipline. Over these decades I have seen an already complicated topic become even more difficult to understand. The field of study has grown as the world has gotten smaller. Ask anyone what terrorism is and you will get a myriad of answers. Even in academia the topic has become more convoluted. As with crime, there are many theories espoused as to why one commits terrorism and why terrorism exists. It appears to me that many academics, researchers, policymakers, authors, and journalists in general view this topic with a tainted lens based on their own world view. Some act as apologists for terrorists while often doing so in a subtle manner. Some try to expand the definition and concept well beyond the scope that it should be found. I have students who do this all the time. We seem to be living in an emotion driven society instead of a fact driven one. A relatively new trend is to use the word extremist as a synonym for terrorist. There are several problems with this. First, this creates a net widening effect which lumps those who we disagree with in that net. Second, who gets to decide who or what is extreme? Third, and finally, it waters down and muddies the study of "terrorism". This does not mean that an extremist might not become a terrorist. Having pointed out the minefield terrorism can be my goal is to offer an academically sound real-world fact-based explanation on terrorism. Terrorism can be a politically charged topic. I ask that as you read this book you check what is written, digest it, and make your own decisions on what you have read. It is highly likely some of your thinking will be challenged. When I began to teach homeland security which includes terrorism, I made a promise to myself that I would never be politically correct. Political correctness is what some terrorists rely on and is one of our worse habits. We will cover several overarching themes. We will look at what terrorism is and is not. We will explore the historical roots of terrorism. We will discuss the causes of terrorism as well as terrorist typologies. Next, we will examine domestic terrorism and international and ethnic terrorism. Then we will dive into religion and terrorism and spend time looking at Islamic terrorism and Jihad. We will examine asymmetric warfare including terrorists' tactics and weapons of choice. We will discuss terrorist financing an explore counterterrorism.
Dr. Jeff Fox served for 27 years in the field of criminal justice, 21 of which were with the VA State Police (VSP). He began his law enforcement career as a military policeman in the U.S. Army and served as a town police officer, trooper, sergeant, first sergeant, and lieutenant. He served as a field lieutenant with the state police and served as the assistant training officer where he managed the daily operations of the training academy. He also served as the statewide incident management program manager for the VDOT in the operations and security division. Jeff earned an AAS degree in Police Science from Germanna Community College, a BLS degree in Criminal Psychology and Sociology from Mary Washington College, and a MS degree in Criminal Justice Administration from VA Commonwealth University. He earned an MBA degree with a Specialization in Criminal Justice, and he earned a PhD in Business Administration with a Specialization in Homeland Security from Northcentral University. He is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute Administrative Employees Course and the VA Commonwealth Management Institute. Jeff completed the VA State Police Basic Academy, Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy, and Military Police School. Jeff has been teaching at various colleges and universities since 2001. He retired from state service as the Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor for the Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness and Criminal Justice Cohort Programs for VA Commonwealth University in Martinsville VA. Jeff served as an Assistant Professor and Chair of the Public Safety Adult Degree Completion Programs (Bachelors) [Criminal Justice and Homeland Security & Emergency Management] for a private college in Virginia. While the assistant training officer for the VSP he collaborated with the University of Virginia and together, they created the National Criminal Justice Command College. Jeff's full-time job now is as public safety trainer/educator/consultant for his company called Fox - Public Safety Training, Educating, and Consulting, LLC. He has been an associate dean, program chair, program coordinator, associate and assistant professor, lecturer, and adjunct. He is a member of Global Society of Homeland and National Security Professionals - Certified Homeland Security Protection Associate IV. He served on the Executive Advisory Board for ABCHS. He was Certified a National Threat Analyst with ABCHS and a subject matter expert - violent non-state actors by Center for National Threat Assessment. He serves as the Homeland Security Program Director for a major university. Jeff spent 20 years instructing over 4,000 hours at criminal justice academies in a variety of criminal justice, leadership, ethics, and instructor development courses. Jeff has taught 100s of academically based criminal justice and homeland security/emergency preparedness classes which included over 28,500 classroom hours. Jeff has spent over 24,500 hours instructing. He has taught over 85 criminal justice topics in police academies. Jeff has received over 167 commendations during his career in public service. These commendations range from criminal and traffic enforcement, major drug seizures, educational efforts, community service, crime prevention, traffic safety, to life saving attempts. For more information about Jeff's training, education, and consulting services through Fox Public Safety, LLC. contact him at https: //publicservice.training/ or foxpublicsafety@gmail.com
