Category Archives: Terrorism

French Air Power in Mali

Posted on January 14, 2013 by briansandberg

The French military intervention in Mali is only a few days old, but already French air power is having an impact. According to the French Defense Minister, Rafale and Mirage fighter-bombers have flown a number of sorties over Mali, bombing … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, European History, European Union, French History, History of Violence, Mediterranean World, Political Culture, Strategy and International Politics, Terrorism, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

French Military Intervention in Mali

Posted on January 12, 2013 by briansandberg

French President François Hollande has launched a military intervention into war-torn Mali, where a civil war has been raging for months. The French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault explained the rationale for the French intervention, claiming that military action is justified … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Empires and Imperialism, European Union, French History, History of Violence, Mediterranean World, Political Culture, State Development Theory, Strategy and International Politics, Terrorism, Uncategorized, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Political Assassinations in Paris

Posted on January 10, 2013 by briansandberg

Three Kurdish women were murdered in Paris yesterday in the offices of the Kurdish Institute. The women were all political activists affiliated with the PKK, a Kurdish nationalist group active in Turkey and Iraq. Sakine Cansiz, one of the co-founders … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, French History, Gender and Warfare, History of Violence, Human Rights, Paris History, Strategy and International Politics, Terrorism, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Piazza Fontana and Romanzo di una Strage

Posted on December 2, 2012 by briansandberg

Major historical events often have to wait for years to receive serious treatment in historical film, especially in the case of controversial episodes that produce sharply opposing narratives of those events. For the first time, the bombing in Piazza Fontana … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, European History, European Union, Historical Film, History of Violence, Italian History, Political Culture, Terrorism, Uncategorized, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Basque Nationalism

Posted on May 11, 2012 by briansandberg

Basque nationalists have been seeking political recognition and cultural autonomy within France and Spain for decades.  Basque nationalist organizations, such as the ETA, have long sought outright independence through separatist violence, which has often been condemned as “terrorism” by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, European History, European Union, French History, History of Violence, Human Rights, Political Culture, Terrorism, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Bernard Lewis Claims to Have Opposed Iraq War

Posted on April 23, 2012 by briansandberg

Bernard Lewis, Professor Emeritus of History at Princeton University, is one of the most controversial figures in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean history. Lewis is known for his many books on Middle Eastern history, but also for his influential formulation of … Continue reading →

Posted in History in the Media, Mediterranean World, Political Culture, Strategy and International Politics, Terrorism, War, Culture, and Society | 1 Comment

Act of Valor: Entertainment or Propaganda?

Posted on February 25, 2012 by briansandberg

The new film, Act of Valor, depicts Navy SEALs in action against smugglers and terrorists. The film openly touts its active-duty SEALs who act as the protagonists in the film, alongside plenty of military hardware and vehicles. The filmmakers reportedly … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical Film, History in the Media, Terrorism, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

The Global War on Terror Revisited

Posted on February 24, 2012 by briansandberg

The so-called “Global War on Terror”—once omnipresent on cable news networks—seems to have receded from view.  Is the war over?  How do we think about the past 11 years of warfare in Afghanistan, Iraq, and beyond? Andrew J. Bacevich, Professor … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Violence, Strategy and International Politics, Terrorism, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Michael Sells on Religious Violence

Posted on September 7, 2011 by briansandberg

Michael Sells, Professor of Islamic History and Literature at the University of Chicago, discussed contemporary issues of religious violence today on WBEZ’s Worldview with host Jerome McDonnell. Sells is the author of a number of books on Islamic culture and … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Violence, Religious Violence, Terrorism, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Extremism in Europe

Posted on July 26, 2011 by briansandberg

The attacks in Norway have raised awareness of the threat posed by far-right extremist groups in Scandinavia and across Europe. Details are still emerging about the Norway attacks, but already Norwegians are reexamining their political culture, social structures, and laws.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Comparative Revolutions, European Union, History of Violence, Religious Violence, Terrorism | Leave a comment