Would the Islamic State ever renounce violence? In the current political climate, the question seems preposterous. Yet, at the height of a terrorist campaign against tourists in Egypt during the 1990s, nobody expected that the group behind the attacks would issue and adhere to a nonviolence initiative. What drives groups to shift between nonviolence and violence? When do opposition groups move away from armed action, and why do some organizations renounce violence permanently, whereas others refrain temporarily? In The Violence Pendulum, Ioana Emy Matesan offers a theory of tactical change that explains both escalation and de-escalation in order to answer these questions. Matesan's analysis traces the historical evolution of four Islamist groups: the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya in Egypt, and Darul Islam and Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia. Drawing from archival materials, interviews, and reports, she focuses on turning points in each organization. Ultimately, she finds that Islamist groups alter their tactics in response to the perceived need for activism, shifts in the cost of violent versus nonviolent resistance, and internal or external pressures on the organization. Groups turn to violence when grievances escalate, violent resistance is feasible and publicly tolerated, and there are internal or external pressures to act. In turn, groups renounce armed action when violence costs them too much, disillusionment eclipses the perceived need for continued activism, and leaders are willing to rethink the tactics and strategies of the group. By uncovering the reasons for escalation and de-escalation across a range of political environments, The Violence Pendulum reshapes our understanding of how decisions are made--and how nonviolence can be achieved--in armed groups.

In Breaking the Pendulum, Philip Goodman, Joshua Page, and Michelle Phelps debunk the pendulum model of American criminal justice, arguing that it distorts how and why punishment changes. From the birth of the penitentiary through recent reforms, the authors show how the struggle of players in the penal field shapes punishment.

"This chapter presents the analytical framework of this book in the contentious politics research agenda. The book situates jihadi groups in a multilevel environment constituted by their political environment, social movement, the security services, the public, and a potential countermovement. This chapter argues that jihadi groups can successively radicalise in interaction with any of these actors. The first argument is that radicalisation forces them to institutionalise along one dimension. The second argument is that the succession of several phases of radicalisation and institutionalisation shapes their long-term trajectories and strategic choices"--

This is a message from our Father to His children. That you should listen to what our Father is telling His children, for this is a story, a story of you, a story of your survival, a story of your life on this planet, and on the next. My children ask question of their lives, their souls, their future, and their past, what I am telling my children today should be adhered to. This is a story of hope, peace, love, and acceptance of all that I have created. Show me the honor that you have for me at this time. Follow my words, follow my paths.

Provocative and timely: a pioneering neurocriminologist introduces the latest biological research into the causes of--and potential cures for--criminal behavior. With an 8-page full-color insert, and black-and-white illustrations throughout.