Halliday, Fred, Two Hours that Shook the World: September 11 2001:Causes and Consequences, Palgrave, 2002.
Friedman, Thomas, Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World After September 11, NYC, Farrar Straus Giroux, 2002.
Lewis, Bernard, The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror, NYC, Modern Library, 2003.

Library and internet resources. Some additions to the book stock will be needed.

The essay will require you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the subject matter, and will require you to apply and analyse the concepts studied, and to communicate effectively on some aspect of the war on terror.

This module will firstly explain the background to the current war on terror, by examining a selective history of the Cold war, particularly its impact on South Asia and the Middle East, and focussing on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the response to it. It will also explore the politicisation of Islam post 1979 (the Iranian revolution), and the different types of actors spawned by political mobilisation in the name of Islam. This will lead on to a look at the politics of the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli conflict in particular. It will analyse the acts of terrorism themselves, like the attacks on US embassies in Africa, the 9/11 attacks, the Bali bombing, the Madrid bombings, London tube bombings etc. It will explore the nature and characteristics of the Al-Quaida network and the US attack on their base and supporters in Taliban led Afghanistan. The danger of the spread of weapons of mass destruction into the hands of non-state actors will be explored, as will the war in Iraq and its impact on terrorism. Finally the domestic responses of western Governments to the terrorist threat, as well as the issue of integrating their own muslim populations will be examined.

Students will have weekly whole group lectures and part group seminars. Seminars will support learning by giving students the opportunity to discuss concepts raised in lectures in more detail. Time will also be given to supporting students to complete their assignment by encouraging them to seek individual tutorial guidance