"This Note examines a variety of aspects of terrorists and terrorism. It attempts to define the terrorists and to gauge their motivations; it examines their socioeconomic backgrounds and their driving ideologies; and it probes into elements that may aid the cohesion of terrorist groups, as well as into elements that drive toward disintegration. The purpose of the inquiry is not simply to sum up certain things that have been learned about terrorists and terrorism, but also to investigate what aspects of the problem have been studied in various parts of the world; what methods have been used; who has performed the studies; and what conclusions have been reached. The Note aims to show how RAND's efforts in the domain of terrorism research are to some extent geared to the efforts of others who are also attempting to refine and further develop methodologies for studying this subject."--Rand abstracts.

"December 1982."