| Vol. 2 | No. 10 |
March 2004 |
| Book Review | |
| Much data, some debate:
"Terrorism in South Asia" - Sridhar Khatri and Genl. Kueck (Ed) Samrat Choudhury - This book, divided into six sections, is a collection of 20 research papers on terrorism in South Asia, and deals with various aspects of terrorism. The book contains a wealth of data on the major conflicts in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Two articles seem to be of particular relevance. One is John M. Richardson Jr's paper on "Cost of Terrorism and Deadly Conflict: Who should Care, and why Should they Care?" He uses system dynamics modelling to arrive at his answers. His conclusion: "As with most academic debates, debates among proponents of these theories resemble the parable of the six blind men of whom each felt part of an elephant, and then disputed with his companions about the whole". How true. The other article of interest to the lay reader with an interest in the subject is Kanti Bajpai's analysis of "The Effects of Terrorism on Indian Democracy". Bajpai concludes that terrorism has shrunk the liberal space in India and contributed to strengthening the Hindu right. Hindustan Times - February 8, 2004. |
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