Why do terrorists resort to spectacular - and often futile - acts of violence? For some thirty years after the Second World War, popular movements fought for liberation from colonial rule. But since the late 1960s, terrorism has increasingly become a substitute for popular struggle. Its aims: blackmailing the state and capturing media attention. How are terrorist groups organised? What is their social base? What are their strategies - and the strategies used against them? In answering such questions, Gerard Chaliand draws on a wealth of examples, from the Red brigades to the IRA to the Armenians and the Afghan Mujahidin. This challenging book throws light on one of the most central and controversial political issues of modern times.