Looking Back, Looking Forward: A Personal Reflection

Abstract

This article contains a personal reflection of experiences in terrorism research over the past few decades. It begins by discussing early academic struggles to recognize the legitimacy of terrorism research, especially in the field of criminal justice. This is followed by a selective description of events where the author correctly predicted events as well as those where he was blindsided by surprises. It closes with an appeal to both the academy and the American public to move beyond ideology and populist understandings of terrorism to grapple with the multiple forms and complexities of terrorist violence.