Course ECO 3369_001 The Political Economy of Terrorism

Professor Todd Sandler

Term Fall 2007
Meetings M, W 9:30-10:45 a.m., SOM 2.103

Professor’s Contact Information

Office Phone 883-6725; 883-6724 (Admin. Assistant: Valerie Brunell)
Office Location GR 2.828 (Come through Valerie’s office)
Email Address tsandler@utdallas.edu
Office Hours M 11:30-12:30, W 1-2 p.m.
Do not send me e-mail attachments unless instructed to do so. I post
assignments/notes/and announcements on WebCT. Grad Student is
Other Information
Michael Haydel at mphaydel@gmail.com. He will go over homeworks at
two announced meetings during the week.

General Course Information

Pre-requisites, Co- Basic algebra skills, knowledge of Microeconomic Principles including
requisites, & other indifference curve analysis; I will go over indifference curves in class as a
restrictions short review.
This course examines the nexus of the terrorist threat and the government
response. In particular, it examines the effectiveness of transnational
terrorism as a means for achieving a political goal through intimidation
based on violence or the threat of violence. Terrorists resort to means
outside of the normal political channel by typically targeting individuals,
not directly involved with the political decision making process that
terrorists seek to influence. The course is also concerned with the
challenges that modern-day terrorism poses for the liberal state. Thus, the
key policy issues confronting liberal democracies, whose legitimacy
depends on protecting lives, property, and rights, are addressed as they
Course Description respond to transnational terrorism. A section of the course is concerned
with an evaluation of government responses (e.g., metal detectors in
airports, retaliatory raids, group infiltration, intelligence, embassy
fortification, UN conventions and resolutions) to the terrorist threat. The
course is interested in the historical, political, and institutional aspects of
terrorism. In addition, it addresses the use of theoretical and empirical
tools to investigate terrorism and the impact of counterterrorism policy.

Throughout the course, tools of economic analysis (e.g., indifference

curves, constrained optimization, simple market analysis) are applied to
the study of terrorism. In addition, simple game theory is also applied.
Provide students with an analytical-based knowledge of terrorism and
counterterrorism in a modern-day globalized society where borders are
porous to terrorists. The class demonstrates the power of economics and
analytical analysis in understanding real-world problems such as
Learning Outcomes terrorism. The course will educate students so that they can read today’s
literature on terrorism. The methods learned can be applied to a wide
range of topics in a variety of subjects including economics, political
science, sociology, and history. This class will also educate individuals
going into a homeland security career or working for the government.
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Textbooks:

Enders, Walter and Todd Sandler, The Political Economy of Terrorism

Required Texts & (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). in paperback
Materials
Hoffman, Bruce, Inside Terrorism, Revised Edition (New York:
Columbia University Press, 2006). in paperback

Books on Reserve:

Alexander, Yonah and Dennis Pluchinsky, Europe’s Red Terrorists: The

Fighting Communist Organizations (London: Frank Cass, 1992).

Arquilla, John and David Ronfeldt, eds., Networks and Netwars: The
Future of Terror, Crime, and Militancy (Santa Monica, CA:
RAND, 2001). (On electronic reserve)

Bloom, Mia, Dying to Kill: The Allure of Suicide Terror, (New York:
Columbia University Press, 2005). (On electronic reserve)

Mickolus, Edward F., Terrorism, 1992-1995: A Chronology and a

Selectively Annotated Bibliography (Westport, CT: Greenwood
Press, 1997). (Reference source for incidents)
(In Reference section, 2nd Floor)

Mickolus, Edward F., Terrorism, 1996-2001: A Chronology (Westport,

CT: Greenwood Press, 2002). (Reference source for incidents)
(In Reference section, 2nd Floor)
Readings, &
Materials
Mickolus, Edward F., Todd Sandler, and Jean M. Murdock, International
Terrorism in the 1980s: A Chronology of Events, 2 volumes
(Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press, 1989). (Reference
source for incidents) (In Reference section, 2nd Floor)

Pape, Robert A., Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism
(New York: Random House, 2005).

9/11 Commission, The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States
(New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2004). (This is an
excellent report). (On electronic reserve and WebCT)

Silke, Andrew, ed., Research on Terrorism: Trends, Achievements and

Failures (London: Frank Cass, 2004).

Wilkinson, Paul, Terrorism versus Democracy: The Liberal State

Response (London: Frank Cass, 2001).

Articles on Reserve: Note: electronic reserve is at (password will be

given in class): http://utdallas.docutek.com/eres/coursepage.aspx?cid=295
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Eubank, William L. and Leonard Weinberg (1994), “Does Democracy

Encourage Terrorism?,” Terrorism and Political Violence, 6(4),
Winter, 417-435.

Post, Jerrold M., Keven G. Ruby, and Eric D. Shaw (2000), “From Car
Bombs to Logic Bombs: The Growing Threat from Information
Terrorism,” Terrorism and Political Violence, 12(2), Summer,
97-122.

Sandler, Todd (1995), “On the Relationship between Democracy and

Terrorism,” Terrorism and Political Violence, 7(4), Winter 1-9.

Articles on WebCT for Downloading:

Blum, Andrew, Victor Asal, and Jonathan Wilkenfeld (2005), eds.,

“Nonstate Actors, Terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction,”
International Studies Review, 7(1), March, 133-170.

Cronin, Audrey K. (2006), “How al-Qaeda Ends: The Decline and

Demise of Terrorist Groups,” International Security, 31(1),
Summer, 7-48.

Enders, Walter and Todd Sandler (2005), After 9/11: Is It All Different
Now?,” Journal of Conflict Resolution, 49(2), April, 259-277.

Enders, Walter and Todd Sandler (2006), “Distribution of Transnational

Terrorism among Countries by Income Class and Geography after
9/11, International Studies Quarterly, 50(2), June, 367-393.

Ivanova, Kate and Todd Sandler (2006), “CBRN Incidents: Political

Regimes, Perpetrators, and Targets,” Terrorism and Political
Violence, 18(3), Summer, 423-448.

Li, Quan (2005), “Does Democracy Promote or Reduce Transnational

Terrorist Incidents?” Journal of Conflict Resolution, 49(2), April,
278-297.

Moghadam, Assaf (2006), “Suicide Terrorism, Occupation, and the

Globalization of Martyrdom: A Critique of Dying to Win,”
Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 29(8), December 2006, 707-
729.

Rosendorff, B. Peter and Todd Sandler (2004), “Too Much of a Good

Thing? The Proactive Response Dilemma,” Journal of Conflict
Resolution, 48(5), October 657-671.

Sandler, Todd (2005), “Collective versus Unilateral Responses to

Terrorism,” Public Choice, 124(1), June, 75-93.

Victoroff, Jeff (2005), “The Mind of the Terrorist: A Review and

Critique of Psychological Approaches,” Journal of Conflict

Resolution, 49(1), February, 3-42.
Also 9/11 Commission Report chapters are on WebCT.
Assignments & Academic Calendar
[Topics, Reading Assignments, Due Dates, Exam Dates]
Week Topic
1 Introduction
2 Historical Aspects
Liberal Democracy Tradeoff
3 Historical Aspects
Liberal Democracy Tradeoff
4 Statistical Studies and
Terrorist Behavior
5 Counterterrorism
6 Counterterrorism: Continue
Exam 1: September 26, 2007
7 Transference
8 Religion and Terror
Suicide Terrorism
9 International Cooperation
10 Hostage Taking; After 9/11
11 Economic Impact of Terrorism
12 Homeland Security, WMD
Terrorism
Exam 2: October 29, 2007
13-14 Student Presentations:
Terrorist Groups (e.g., al-Qaida, Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Nidal Organization)
Psychology and terrorism
Terrorism and the media
Lessons from 9/11
Cyberterrorism
Or topic of own choosing
Exam Dates Exam 1: September 26, 2007
Exam 2: October 29, 2007
Presentations: As announced
Final Exam: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 8am
4
Assignment
Hoffman, Chap 1
Enders-Sandler, Chap 1
9/11 Report, Chap 1-2
Hoffman, Chap 2
Enders-Sandler, Chap 2
Sandler (1995)
Eubank and Weinberg (1994)
Hoffman, Chap 3
Enders-Sandler, Chap 2
Li (2005) article (Advanced: optional)
Enders-Sandler, Chap 3
Enders-Sandler, Chap 4
9/11 Report, Chap 3
Rosendorff and Sandler (2004) (Advanced:
optional)
Enders-Sandler, Chap 4
Cronin (2006) article
Enders-Sandler, Chap 5
Enders-Sandler (2006) article
Hoffman, Chap 4-5
Pape Chap 1-4
Moghadam (2006) article
Enders-Sandler, Chap 6
Sandler (2005) article
Enders-Sandler, Chap 7-8
Enders-Sandler (2005) article
Enders-Sandler, Chap 9
Enders-Sandler, Chap 10-11
Hoffman, Chap 8-9
Blum, Asal, and Wilkenfeld (2005)
Ivanova and Sandler (2005) article
Post, Ruby, Shaw (2000) article
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Course Policies
Grading (credit) The class grade is determined as follows:
Criteria
Exam 1 25%
Exam 2 25%
Class Presentation/Attendance at other Presentations 20%
Final Exam 30%

I do not give makeup exams, no matter what. If you miss Exam 1 or 2

because of sickness, circumstances (e.g., death in family), or choice, then
your grade will be determined as follows:

Exam 1 or 2 30%
Class Presentation/Attendance at other Presentations 20%
Final Exam 50%

If you don’t want to do a presentation, you may write an 8-10 page

research paper with library (not web references) for 20% of your grade.

If you miss both Exam 1 and 2, then the Final Exam counts 80%. Be
forewarned: past experience indicates that students who take more exams
tend to do better. The Final Exam is cumulative.

Your group presentation is with others. You will be graded on the

presentation (each member is graded individually on his/her part) and the
overheads. Also, your participation is graded on coming to all other
presentations and participating in discussion. Failure to do so will lose
you 5 points for every missed presentation.

Presentations can use overheads and short video (no more than 5 minutes can
be devoted to video. Class presentations will be kept to 25-30 minutes
depending on class size. The size of the presenting group will be determined
by class size, so that I have no more than 10 presenting groups. Probably
there will be groups of two. Presentations must have no swearing or lewd
behavior.

Grades are not like hostage events – they are not negotiable. I do not
change grades because you discover at the end of the semester that your
scholarship will be taken away or some other catastrophe will befall you.
If you need a certain grade, then you need to work for it during the
semester. Likewise, there are no extra credit projects. The final exam is
given at the assigned time so don’t book a flight and then ask for an
earlier exam. I will make no exceptions.
Make-up Exams No make-up exams, no matter what.
Extra Credit Students missing no more than one class within the weeks prior to each exam will
have five points added to their exam score. (Remember, no excuses are accepted
for missing a class). Also, you must be in your seat within 5 minutes of the start of
class – coming in 6 minutes late, or leaving early will not qualify as an attendance for
extra credit.
Late Work Not accepted
Special None
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Assignments
Class Attendance Strongly recommended
Classroom
No talking in class.
Citizenship
Field Trip
No field trips
Policies

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and
regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the
responsibility of each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable
about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General
information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A
to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the

procedures of recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and
described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas
Student Conduct
System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and
and Discipline
Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these
rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students,
where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of
citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the
Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject
to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place
on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such
conduct.

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic
honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute
integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student
demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions
related to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission
Academic as one’s own work or material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic
Integrity dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or
falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject
to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and
from any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s
policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use the
resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over
90% effective.

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of

communication between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the
same time, email raises some issues concerning security and the identity of each
Email Use individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official student email
correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty
and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD
student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in
the identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted
 7

information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used
in all communication with university personnel. The Department of Information
Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas
mail forwarded to other accounts.

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-
level courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog.
Withdrawal from Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to
Class handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or
withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not
receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you
are enrolled.

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and
Activities, of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other

fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make
a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or
committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”).
Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and
Student evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be
Grievance submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean.
Procedures If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the
student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not
resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the
Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene
an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final.
The results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the
Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting
the rules and regulations.

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work
unavoidably missed at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has
Incomplete
been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from
Grades
the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the
course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline,
the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational

opportunities equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located
in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30
a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30
a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Disability The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:
Services The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable
adjustments necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For
example, it may be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders
 8

or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally an
assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an
oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students
with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The
college or university may need to provide special services such as registration, note-
taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to
faculty members to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations.
Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class
or during office hours.

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required
activities for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose
places of worship are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code,
Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as

possible regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student,
so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a
reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a
Religious Holy maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any
Days missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails
to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a
failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the
purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about
whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed
assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a ruling
from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief
executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC
51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief
executive officer or designee.
Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law
Off-Campus and University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities.
Instruction and Information regarding these rules and regulations may be found at
Course Activities http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm.
Additional information is available from the office of the school dean.