The Darkest Sides of Politics, II ─ State Terrorism, "Weapons of Mass Destruction," Religious Extremism, and Organized Crime

When studying politics, it is important to understand the subject matter of where politics can go morally wrong in order to know how it can go right. Individually and collectively, researchers must get to grips with the unsavoury political topics which arguably constitute the most noxious, extreme, terrifying, murderous, secretive, authoritarian, and/or anti-democratic aspects of national and international politics. The darker side of politics cannot go ignored.

This volume concentrates on assorted religious extremists, including apocalyptic cults, Islamism, and jihadist terrorist networks, as well as on CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) terrorism and the supposedly new "nexus" between organized criminal and extremist groups employing terrorist operational techniques. A range of global case studies are used, collecting an array of papers from across the years dedicated to exploring the darkest dimensions of these certain secular political milieus.

This is valuable reading for students and researchers interested in understanding historical and contemporary politics.

Dr. Jeffrey M. Bale is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of International Policy and Management at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), USA.