Understanding Terror

First, the structure of the book. It is divided into seven chapters which run to 362 pages. The remaining hundred-odd pages are of useful and relevant annexures. The first chapter on terrorism deals with the phenomenon in definitional terms. Two parts of this section, namely the "genesis of terrorism" and the "personality of a terrorist", should be of particular interest, as these deal not only with the generic and political causations of terrorist violence, but also with emotional and psychological well-springs of this politico-social aberration. Marwah establishes the linkage between the psychological andemotional make-up of an individual terrorist with the collective psyche of the group and pinpoints it as a significant factor contributing to the continuity of terrorism. The remaining chapters, except the last one, are a case study on insurgency, terrorism and militancy in different regions of India statewise. They deal with the phenomenon in Kashmir, Punjab, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura.

These chapters are strong in chronology and detailed in description. But one wishes that Marwah had compressed incidents/events into general patterns and spent more time and space in analysing the socio-economic, political and ethno-religious reasons which lead to violence, insurgency and secessionist activities in different states in India. He has compensated for this lack, to some extent,in the chapter on Naxalities. He has analysed the philosophical basis of Naxalism, the community and caste conflicts and confrontations which gave it momentum and strength. He has analysed the structure and motivations of the movement in more dialectical terms than he has done while writing the preceding chapters. His chapter on the LTTE, while accurate in the events and trends that it has covered, hangs in mid-air. Once he decided to deal with the activities of the LTTE, historical accuracy demanded that he should have described the origins of the LTTE, and the Indian involvement in thegrowth of Sri Lankan Tamil militancy. He should have also analysed in greater detail the reasons for the disillusionment and the antagonism between India and the LTTE.

The last chapter on counter-terrorist strategy is more of a guide to counter-terrorist tactics than an essay on "advisable strategy" in macro-level political terms. The chapter is, however, noteworthy for its intellectual honesty when he mentions both the contradictions and the skulduggeries the state structure itself can indulge in when it decides to use terrorism as an instrument of policy for meeting its perceived objectives.

The hundred pages of appendices and annexures are statistical and incident specific. Inclusion of the text of the Shimla Agreement, the Punjab Accord and agreements signed on Assam and Nagaland add to the book's archival importance and its utility as a source of reference for future scholars on the subject. Marwah has obviously undertaken some reading on the subject by other authors. A bibliography or a list of suggested readings would have made the annexures more complete.

The book is Indo-centric. So from the Indian point of view, it is a path-breaking work on a subject of high concern. Though Marwah has touched on narco-terrorism, he perhaps did not have the space to deal with international linkages of the terrorist movements in India and the manner in which other countries have dealt with the problem.

Reading Marwah's book is a must for any student or scholar interested in the nature and impact of terrorism and its fissiparous impact on plural democratic societies.