pol631h

POL 631 Research Seminar in International Relations: Terrorism

Libraries Research Guide

Purdue University Libraries have many resources on international terrorism from U.S. Government agencies, research institutions, and other resources. As a federal depository library for U.S. Government documents, we have extensive collections of resources on terrorism from numerous federal agencies.

A good way to begin searching for books on terrorism is by doing Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) searches in the Purdue Libraries Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC). Print resources of most of these materials will be in the HSSE Library.

Relevant subject terms you can use include:

Terrorism Prevention
Terrorism United States Prevention
Terrorism Government Policy United States
United States Dept. of Homeland Security

Selected Reference Books
Bert Chapman. Space Warfare and Defense: A Historical Encyclopedia and Research Guide. (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2008). HSSE REF 358.8 C366s 2008.
Bert Chapman. Researching National Security and Intelligence Policy. (Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2004). HSSE REF 025.6355033572 C36r 2004

A useful database to search for journal articles is the Air University Library Index to Military Periodicals which indexes articles from numerous military periodicals addresing terrorism and other national security issues.

Other useful U.S. Government periodicals on national security issues include:

Air and Space Power Journal
Joint Force Quarterly
Military Review
Naval War College Review
Parameters: U.S. Army War College Quarterly
Strategic Insights

Useful guides to conducting research on various aspects of U.S. Government terrorism policy are:

Government Documents on U.S. Foreign Policy
Government Documents on Intelligence
Government Documents on National Security Policy
HSSE Library Research Centers Guide

Most print versions of U.S. Government documents are in the HSSE Library. U.S. Government documents are classified using the Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) classification system in which documents are arranged alphabetically by the agencies producing them.

Many U.S. Government agencies produce terrorism information resources. Leading U.S. Government terrorism resources include:

Country Reports on Terrorism [Some editions HSSE DOC S 1.138]
Foreign Relations of the United StatesHSSE Periodicals 327.73 Un32
Cumulative Digest of United States Practice in International LawHSSE DOC S 7.12/3
National Strategy for Combating Terrorism
Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism
Military Policy Awareness Links (MIPAL): Terrorism (National Defense University)
Homeland Security Digital Library
U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute
U.S. Military Academy Combating Terrorism Center
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Combat Studies Institute Press
Joint Special Operations University Press Publications
National Counterterrorism Center
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Homeland Security Dept. Inspector General
Justice Dept. Inspector General
National Intelligence Council

Congressional Resources
The U.S. Congress is responsible for passing laws on U.S. Government terrorism policy. Congressional committees are responsible for funding government programs, conducting oversight of these programs, and congressional legislation requires agencies such as the State Department to write regular reports on terrorism and other subjects as part of Congress' oversight responsibilities. There are also congressional support agencies such as the Congressional Budget Office, Congressional Research Service, and Government Accountability Office that assist congressional oversight by preparing reports and data for members of Congress and their committees. Congressional committees which may be involved in terrorism policymaking include:

House Armed Services Committee HSSE DOC Y 4.AR 5/2A: (Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) is a member of this committee.
House Foreign Affairs Committee HSSE DOC Y 4.F 76/1 and HSSE DOC Y 4.IN 8/16 (Reps. Mike Pence (R-IN) and Dan Burton (R-IN) are members of this committee.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee HSSE DOC Y 4.G 74/7 (Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) is a member of this committee.)
House Homeland Security Committee (Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) is a member of this committee.)
House Intelligence Committee HSSE DOC Y 4.IN 8/18
Senate Armed Services Committee HSSE DOC Y 4.AR 5/3 (Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) is a member of this committee.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee HSSE DOC Y 4.F 76/2 (Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) is this committee's ranking member and former chair.)
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee HSSE DOC Y 4.G 74/9
Senate Intelligence Committee HSSE DOC Y 4.IN 8/19 (Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) is a member of this committee).
Congressional Budget Office
Congressional Research Service-Various sites accessible from here
Government Accountability Office

Selected International and Foreign Government Resources
United Nations Security Council(Note: The UN Security Council includes a Counterterrorism Committee.)
European Union Justice, Freedom, & Security Resources-Terrorism
European Union Foreign & Security Policy
Organization of American States (Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism)
Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Transnational Crime and International Terrorism Documents
Australian National Security (See also this country's Defence Department, Foreign Ministry, Attorney General, Prime Minister's Office, and parliamentary websites.)
Canada-Canadian Security Intelligence Service (See also this country's Department of National Defence, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Public Safety & Emergency Affairs Canada, Prime Minister's Office, and parliamentary websites.)
Israel-Foreign Ministry and Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet (Counterintelligence)
United Kingdom Home Office (See also The Security Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Prime Minister, Cabinet Office, Ministry of Defence, and parliamentary websites