Book Review of Waves of Global Terrorism: From 1879 to the Present

In The Four Waves of Modern Terrorism (Rapoport 2004), David C. Rapoport theorised that modern terrorism can be historically seen and understood through the Anarchist (1st/1879–1920s), Anticolonial (2nd/1919–1960s), New Left (3rd/1960s-1990s) and Religious (4th/1979–2020s?) Waves. Ideologically similar, the organisations within each Wave also share characteristics, such as signature tactics, weaponry, and targets. The energy driving them spreads globally and tends to last one generation. Since the Rapoportian Wave Theory was launched, its explanatory power has been widely debated; sometimes challenged, but usually tested, corroborated and applied to uncover overlooked Waves (da Silva 2020). Unsurprisingly, the 2011 Oslo and Utøya Attacks (Norway), the 2019 Christchurch Mosque Shooting (New Zealand), and the 2019 El Paso Shooting (U.S.) made Terrorism Studies scholars wonder whether these were shaping a Far-Right (5th) Wave. In the 448-page Waves of Global Terrorism: From 1879 to the Present, David C. Rapoport re-explores his longstanding scholarship to shed light on this heated debate. Definitionally, Rapoport understands terrorism as “[. . .] violence employed for a religious or political objective and is not limited by the accepted moral norms that limit violence” (03). In Chapter 1, a lengthy discussion on pre-1879, non-Wave Abrahamic (e.g., Jewish Sicarii and Zealots, Islamic Assassins, and Christian Crusaders) and secular (e.g., the Ku Klux Klan and Sons of Liberty) terrorism makes it appear that the book’s title does not truly translate its content. Yet, it serves to remind us that not only Islam but also Judaism and Christianity have been used to encourage terrorism, but that the West only attributes positive connotations to the latter. Rapoport proceeds by brilliantly combining a chronological and thematic structure. The theorist expands on the Anarchist (Chapter 2) and Anticolonial (Chapter 3) Waves, and updates the New Left (Chapter 4) Wave by discussing the peace agreement between Colombia’s Government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia. Furthermore, he extensively elaborates on how the 2011 Arab Spring contributed to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s emergence and growth, thus, boosting the Religious Wave (Chapter 5), a chapter that takes the spotlight until the novel discussion on a Far-Right Wave (Chapter 6). Previously, Rapoport (2004, 61) had argued that “[. . .] three events in the Islamic world [. . .]” sparked the Religious Wave: “In 1979, the Iranian Revolution occurred, a new Islamic century began, and the Soviets made an unprovoked invasion of Afghanistan.” Now, he adds the IsraelEgypt Peace Treaty (1979) as “[. . .] the second crucial event [. . .]” (218). However, he does not explain why it was not originally appraised. Confusingly, Rapoport argues that “[. . .] it was not until the third decade of the wave that Islamic groups began targeting Western states like the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Spain” [emphasis added] (209). Perhaps, he meant the second decade because “[s]trikes on American soil began in 1993 with a partially successful effort on the World Trade Center” (366). In addition, Rapoport argues that “[i]n 2006, Hamas released an Israeli soldier in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian terrorists and terrorist suspects” (201), then, he argues that “in 2011, when Hamas exchanged an Israeli soldier for 1,027 Palestinian terrorists and terrorist suspects” (202). The Israeli soldier – Gilad Shalit – was kidnapped on 25 June 2006, and released on 18 October 2011. These are not the only phrases that read almost identically and are next to each other, suggesting that this chapter could have been better edited: