May 26, 2005
What are the causes or roots of terrorism? What are past strategies that have been used to either prevent it or deal with it, what worked and why, what didn't work and why? Are there (or not) universal prescriptions for dealing with terrorism?
Dr. Louise Richardson is Executive Dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. She received a bachelor's and master's degree in history from Trinity College, Dublin and an MA and PhD in government from Harvard University. From 1989 to 2001, Richardson was Assistant then Associate Professor of Government at Harvard. A political scientist by training she has specialized in international security with an emphasis on terrorist movements. Her publications include When Allies Differ (1996) and a wide range of articles on international terrorism, foreign and defence policy, security institutions, and international relations. Dean Richardson teaches courses on terrorism at Harvard College, Graduate School, and Law School. Richardson's current research projects involve a study of the patterns of terrorist violence and a study of the counter-terrorism lessons to be derived from earlier experiences with terrorism. She is the co-editor of the SUNY Press series on terrorism. Richardson's teaching has been recognized with both national and local awards including the Levenson Prize, awarded annually by the undergraduate student body to the best teachers at the university. Richardson's research has been recognized with awards from The Ford Foundation, The Milton Fund and The Sloan Foundation, among many others. In addition to her book, When Allies Differ she has published a number of book chapters and articles on terrorism and on European foreign and defense policy. These include: "Terrorists as Transnational Actors," "Conflict Theory and Terrorist Campaigns", "British State Strategies after the Cold War" and "The Concert of Europe and Security Management in the Nineteenth Century." Richardson's dual interests are reflected as well in her article "A Spiral of Peace? Bringing an End to Ethnic Conflict in Northern Ireland."