Trust and Terror

'This book provides a very unorthodox treatment of the Arab Spring by looking into the association between interpersonal trust and terrorism. Shamaileh develops a novel theory that explains how the state of social capital at individual level might have shaped the differential outcomes of the Arab Spring in Egypt, Libya, Syria, and beyond. The theoretical and empirical analysis presented in this timely book is a fine example of social scientific inquiry at its best. The author brings a wealth of evidence ranging from in-depth analysis of cases to large-N quantitative analysis to test the rich theoretical propositions. Trust and Terror will be a valuable resource for students of comparative politics and Middle Eastern studies as well as to policymakers.' - Sabri Ciftci, Michael W. Suleiman Chair in Arab and Arab-American Studies, Kansas State University 'To illustrate the critical interaction between general levels of interpersonal trust and the options to which individuals resort when addressing grievances, Shamaileh shows the depth of his analytical range, adeptly bringing together formal modeling, case studies, interviews, statistical analysis, and even Foucauldian interpretative analysis of satirical comic caricatures of Assad and popular comedy skits. Throughout the work, the author's logic drives home the mechanisms behind the inevitable outcome of the Syrian protests and the relationship between the cultivated lack of trust in Syrian society and the recourse to terrorism as the means to counter the state.' - Michael Wuthrich, Academic Director of Global & International Studies Programs, University of Kansas 'Shamaileh offers a novel and persuasive argument about the effects of trust and interpersonal ties on individuals' choices to pursue non-violent versus violent means of resistance. The book makes a major contribution to growing research on how the characteristics of societies and relations between militants and communities affect the trajectory of violent movements. It provides a fascinating lens through which to analyze variation in the protest movements that emerged in the Arab Spring--and beyond.' - Risa A. Brooks, Allis Chalmers Associate Professor, Marquette University