SKU: 94524807294

What Terrorists Want

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What Terrorists WantBy: Louise Richardson This is at the top of my list for best books on terrorism. Jessica Stern, author of Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill How can the most powerful country in the world feel so threatened by an enemy infinitely weaker than we are? How can loving parents and otherwise responsible citizens join terrorist movements? How can anyone possibly believe that the cause of Islam can be advanced by murdering passengers on a

By: Louise Richardson     
“This is at the top of my list for best books on terrorism.”
–Jessica Stern, author of Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill

How can the most powerful country in the world feel so threatened by an enemy infinitely weaker than we are? How can loving parents and otherwise responsible citizens join terrorist movements? How can anyone possibly believe that the cause of Islam can be advanced by murdering passengers on a bus or an airplane? In this important new book, groundbreaking scholar Louise Richardson answers these questions and more, providing an indispensable guide to the greatest challenge of our age.

After defining–once and for all–what terrorism is, Richardson explores its origins, its goals, what’s to come, and what is to be done about it. Having grown up in rural Ireland and watched her friends join the Irish Republican Army, Richardson knows from firsthand experience how terrorism can both unite and destroy a community. As a professor at Harvard, she has devoted her career to explaining terrorist movements throughout history and around the globe. From the biblical Zealots to the medieval Islamic Assassins to the anarchists who infiltrated the cities of Europe and North America at the turn of the last century, terrorists have struck at enemies far more powerful than themselves with targeted acts of violence. Yet Richardson understands that terrorists are neither insane nor immoral. Rather, they are rational political actors who often deploy carefully calibrated tactics in a measured and reasoned way. What is more, they invariably go to great lengths to justify their actions to themselves, their followers, and, often, the world.

Richardson shows that the nature of terrorism did not change after the attacks of September 11, 2001; what changed was our response. She argues that the Bush administration’s “global war on terror” was doomed to fail because of an ignorance of history, a refusal to learn from the experience of other governments, and a fundamental misconception about how and why terrorists act. As an alternative, Richardson offers a feasible strategy for containing the terrorist threat and cutting off its grassroots support.

The most comprehensive and intellectually rigorous account of terrorism yet, What Terrorists Want is a daring intellectual tour de force that allows us, at last, to reckon fully with this major threat to today’s global order.

KIRKUS- starred review
"The short answer? Fame and payback, perhaps even a thrill. The long answer? Read this essential, important primer.

Terrorist groups have many motives and ideologies, notes Richardson (Executive Dean/Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study), but they tend to similar paths: They are founded by mature, well-educated men but staffed by less learned and certainly more pliable youths; they are fueled by a sense of injustice and the conviction that only they are morally equipped to combat it; they see themselves as defenders and not aggressors; they often define the terms of battle. And, of course, this commonality: "Terrorists have elevated practices that are normally seen as the excesses of warfare to routine practice, striking noncombatants not as an unintended side effect but as a deliberate strategy." Thus massacres, suicide bombings and assassinations are all in a day's work. Richardson argues against Karl Rove, who after 9/11 mocked those who tried to understand the enemy, by noting that only when authorities make efforts to get inside the minds of their terrorist enemies do they succeed in defeating them, as with the leadership of the Shining Path movement in Peru. Still, as Rove knows, if terrorists share a pathology, then so do at least some of their victims: Once attacked, people in democratic societies are more than willing to trade freedom for security. Richardson closes by offering a set of guidelines for combating terrorism, with such easily remembered rules as "Live by your principles" and "Engage others in countering terrorists with you"–observing, in passing, that the Bush administration's attack on Iraq and subsequent occupation will likely be remembered as serving as a recruiting poster for still more terrorists.

How to win? Develop communities, settle grievances, exercise patience and intelligence. That said, watch for more terrorism to come: "We are going to have to learn to live with it and to accept it as a price of living in a complex world."
_________________________________________________________________________________
“Louise Richardson . . . has now produced the overdue and essential primer on terrorism and how to tackle it. What Terrorists Want is the book many have been waiting for.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editor’s Choice)
“Lucid and powerful, Richardson’s book refutes the dangerous idea that there’s no point in trying to understand terrorists. . . . rich, readable.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review
“The kind of brisk and accessible survey of terrorism-as-modus operandi that has been sorely missing for the past five years . . . [What Terrorists Want] ought to be required reading as the rhetoric mounts this campaign season.”—The American Prospect
“Richardson is one of the relative handful of experts who have been studying the history and practice of terrorism since the Cold War. . . . This book is a welcome source of information. It’s written by a true expert, giving her measured thoughts.”—Christian Science Monitor

“Richardson’s clear language and deep humanity make What Terrorists Want the one book that must be read by everyone who cares about why people resort to the tactic of terrorism.”–Desmond M. Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus

“This is a book of hope. Terrorism, like the poor, will always be with us in one form or another. But given sensible policies, we can contain it without destroying what we hold dear.”–Financial Times

“A passionate, incisive, and groundbreaking argument that provocatively overturns the myths surrounding terrorism.”–Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

“In its lucid analysis and summary, [What Terrorists Want] is simply the best thing of its kind available now in this highly crowded area.”–The Evening Standard

“If a reader has the time to read only one book on terrorism, What Terrorists Want is that book. Extensive historical knowledge, personal contacts, enormous analytic skills, common sense, and a fine mix of lucidity and clarity, make of this work a most satisfying dissection of terrorists’ motives and goals, and of the effects of September 11, 2001. Richardson also offers a sharp critique of American counterterrorism policies, and a sensible plan for better ones.”–Stanley Hoffmann, Buttenwieser University Professor, Harvard University

“An astonishingly insightful analysis by one of the world’s leading authorities on terrorism, this book is filled with wisdom–based not only on the author’s extensive and long-term study of terrorism but also on her experience growing up in a divided Ireland.”–Jessica Stern, author of Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill

“A wide-ranging, clear headed, crisply written, cogently argued anatomy of terrorist groups around the world.”–Peter Bergen, senior fellow, New America Foundation, and author of The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda’s Leader

“Among the numerous books published on terrorism after the 9/11 attacks, Louise Richardson’s stands out as an unusually wise, sensible, and humane treatise. An engrossing and lucid book, which hopefully will be read by many and spread its unique spirit of realistic optimism.”
–Ariel Merari, Professor of Psychology, Tel Aviv University

“Thoughtful and stimulating . . . Controversially, and indeed courageously, [Richardson] argues that, instead of regarding the terrorists–even al-Qaeda types–as mindless and irrational creatures motivated by dark forces of evil, it would be more constructive to examine and seek to moderate some of the grievances that drive previously normal and even nondescript characters to kill and maim innocent people they don’t even know.”–The Irish Times

“A textbook and a myth-buster . . . [Richardson] is calling for nothing less than a total re-evaluation of how we consider, and react to, terrorism. . . . What Terrorists Want ought to be on the bookshelf in every government office. Certainly, for any student of international affairs it is an essential reading.”
The Atlantic Affairs
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SKU: 94524807294

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4.6 ★★★★★
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Grammar Guru
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 5
Very nice kit: Beware it is NOT heavy duty plumbing pipe though!
Size: side table leg
I want to give this kit a high rating, but I need to address the "truth in advertising" bit since there may be an important disconnect between what you think you are getting and what actually comes in the box. Black plumbing used for shelving or table legs is part of an important niche in interior design. I like the industrial loft look myself and have a variety of glass, steel, and masonry elements in my home. This kit fits that look and provides plenty of "strength" for most domestic uses, like shelves or coffee tables. But they are NOT "industrial pipe" or "maximum durability pipe." Note the phrase "cast iron finish feet," which together with the other claims might lead you to think these are cast plumbing fittings. They are NOT! The feet and flanges feel like electrical conduit fittings, and the pipe sections are likely aluminum. They might be electrical or they might be multi-use, lightweight pipe. While all this might lead you to think that you're getting a truly retro, heavy-duty pipe kit made of black plumbing pipe, you are not. But, does it matter? Depends. I find the lighter pipe's smooth finish a nice "tone-down" from the rough plumbing look. All together, this kit provides plenty of strength for most furniture and the rustic pipe look, but with a nicer, lighter finish. To me that is a plus--this is a very nice kit and costs less that if you'd pieced it together from real plumbing parts (I priced it out to compare), and looks retro but cleaner. I knew what to expect because while I got this kit free on Vine, I had purchased a nearly identical kit from another seller last year. So, I'm giving it 5 stars for what it actually is and for the price, JUST BE AWARE THE NARRATIVE IS MISLEADING. Which is unfortunate because just like some people might want the heavier pipe, I'm betting more would be attracted to the look with a cleaner, lighter feel.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2025
R
Verified Purchase
R
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 5
Strong legs, somewhat industrial but trendy also
Size: side table leg
Good legs, some what utilitarian or industrial, they are strong as they are made out of pipe, and assembly is fairly easy once you get the idea of how it goes together. They are roughly 1.5 feet across maybe a bit less adjustable height on each leg, if you have wood floors you may want to put a pad under each leg as they are full metal pipes. Pretty interesting idea and does not cost much.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2026
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Verified Purchase
Nc
New York, US
★★★★★ 4
Pretty good, take your time and install it well
Size: side table leg
Materials are pretty solid, but once assembled it’s not as sturdy as you would think it should be since the material itself was solid, i say give them a chance, everything out there that’s similar is way over priced
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Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2026
R
Verified Purchase
Roberta Mayes
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 5
Heavy duty legs for table.
Size: side table leg
Perfect legs for a table I am having made. I have an cottonwood slice. It's heavy and needed something substantial. These are perfect.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026
R
R. Moheban
Natrona Heights, US
★★★★★ 5
Robust pipe & fittings with a beautiful, smooth black finish
Size: side table leg
This set of pipe & fittings for use as low table legs is heavy duty and aesthetically pleasing. Especially when the pieces are handled, the tactile sensation is much nicer than with plumbing steel pipe because this product is beautifully finished smooth. The black pipes are quite smooth as well as the fittings. The pieces are all also pretty robust, though the wall thicknesses are less than in pipe for pressurized water systems. Of course that makes sense as this product does not need to hold fluid pressure. In my view they got the heaviness factor of this product just right; it's not as heavy or robust as black pipe used in natural gas supplies, but still robust and pretty heavy. Assembled, this product is absolutely stiff and unyielding for a solid table that could hold a man's weight easily. The feet utilize a brilliant scheme so that each foot can be independently adjusted for an uneven floor. Thus a level table on an uneven floor is easily accomplished. The feet simply extend the effective leg length by screwing counter-clockwise. To prevent any shifting at the threads adding some pipe compound or teflon tape may be advised. Even masking or duct tape might work as the idea is to just fill any gaps where male threads meet female threads. The four flanges at the tops of the legs provide a wide, solid surface for attaching the table top, with either hidden screws underneath or you could through-bolt a glass table top (provided you have the skill to drill glass!). I think this product would look great with a glass top. Assembly is quick and easy. The hardest part is drilling holes underneath the table top to accept screws. No pipe wrenches are needed as the pieces screw together by hand to an adequate tightness. If any doubt whether they are tightened enough have a strong person with grippy gloves finish. The "X" in the center attaches to the legs with a very clever machine screw system tightened with the included hex wrench. This is presumably because if tightened simply by screwing the fittings, the point of snugness would not likely be where the "T" fittings are exactly vertical. The maker has solved this problem so that you are assured that all legs will be in the perfect vertical position once everything is tight. The setup is also nice and rigid once tightened. This is a huge benefit of steel pipe projects; they are really solid. The black finish is clearly very durable, like a powder coat. It appears that it will provide excellent protection against rust. Coverage is complete; I found no dings or scratches anywhere on any piece. Overall this is a very well-designed product for function and aesthetics. Perfect for a beautifully renovated warehouse condo where an industrial vibe is desired in a rock-solid table that won't shift around. The smoothness of the pipe is top notch. I've used lots of pipe in projects, some of it actual water pipe and some decorative pipe such as this. I've never seen better quality decorative pipe as this maker put in the effort to finish it beautifully smooth. At currently $34.99 I find the price quite reasonable too.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2026

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