Book Review: Divided Armies: Inequality & Battlefield Performance in Modern War by Jason Lyall

Abstract

from central terrorism researchers such as Bruce Hoffman and David Rapoport. Another Kind of War contains several innovative points. For example, Lynn is careful to discuss a wide range of terrorist actors ranging from state governments, social movements, and sub-state groups to the lone wolf individuals they inspire. Lynn also includes his own periodization of terrorism. He argues convincingly that the major anarchist attacks of the late nineteenth century began when the European revolutions of 1848 failed and discredited more overt forms of rebellion such as street riots. Lynn also discusses national liberation and leftist-inspired terrorism from the 1920s to the 1980s as one interrelated phenomenon. He neatly lays out the transnational connections and ideological commonalities between groups such as the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Provisional Irish Republican Army, the Tupamaros, and the Red Brigades. This overt discursive approach serves Lynn well and makes it easy for the reader to follow his arguments. Another Kind of War is aimed primarily at a student audience, and Lynn takes care to introduce the history of terrorism in ways accessible to readers who may be unfamiliar with the subject. He lays out a clear conceptual foundation that introduces differing levels at which terrorists operate and the varying strategies that terrorists utilize to achieve their goals. Then Lynn guides the reader through a chronology of terrorism, highlighting how, why, and when terrorist organizations and strategies changed over time. This approach emphasizes the commonalities between terrorist actors while still stressing the historical context and specificities of each example. Conceptual details and historical analysis are well balanced. The book also maintains a good equilibrium in covering nineteenth and twentieth century cases as well as more recent instances of terrorism. A strong bibliography in the book and an accompanying website enables students to continue their research and access further literature. Overall, Lynn’s book includes a clarity and engagement with existing research which makes it a welcome addition to the literature on terrorism and its history.