Small Arms

Mia Bloom is Professor of Communication at Georgia State University. She is author of several books, including, most recently, Bombshell.John G. Horgan is Distinguished University Professor in the Global Studies Institute at Georgia State University. He is author of numerous books, including, most recently, The Psychology of Terrorism.

Why do terrorist organizations use children to support their cause and carry out their activities? Small Arms uncovers the brutal truth behind the mobilization of children by terrorist groups.Mia Bloom and John Horgan show us the grim underbelly of society that allows and even encourages the use of children to conduct terrorist activities. They provide readers with the who, what, when, why, and how of this increasingly concerning situation, illuminating a phenomenon that to most of us seems abhorrent. And yet, they argue, for terrorist groups the use of children carries many benefits. Children possess skills that adults lack. They often bring innovation and creativity. Children are, in fact, a superb demographic from which to recruit if you are a terrorist.Small Arms answers questions about recruitment strategies and tactics, determines what makes a child terrorist and what makes him or her different from an adult one, and charts the ways in which organizations use them. The unconventional focus on child and youth militants allows the authors to, in essence, give us a biography of the child terrorist and the organizations that use them. We are taken inside the mind of the adult and the child to witness that which perhaps most scares us.

Acknowledgments1. What Is a Child?2. Child Soldiers versus Children in Terrorist Groups3. Learning to Hate: Socialization and Cultural Influences4. Pathways to Involvement: Coercion5. Pathways to Involvement: Consensus and Cultures of Martyrdom6. Experiences, Apprenticeships, and Careers in Terror7. Leaving Terrorism Behind8. An End or a New Beginning?NotesIndex