Dr. Bruce Hoffman on 50 years of Terrorism Studies

In this interview by Terror and Political Violence Editor-in-Chief James Forest, Dr. Bruce Hoffman, professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and Editor-in-Chief of Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, traces five decades in terrorism studies. He moves from personal history into reflections from the field, marked by waypoints: terrorism’s shift from a law-enforcement matter to a strategic/military one after 9/11, the globalization of suicide terrorism, the transformative role of social media and drones, and growing concern over the normalization of far-right and far-left domestic terrorism. He closes with wisdom on teaching and scholarship.

Key Themes:

1. Mentorship and access shaped the field’s founding generation. Hoffman’s own path was catalyzed by important moments and by mentors who took chances on his unconventional interests.
2. Field access has narrowed and grown more dangerous. Pre-9/11 terrorists often welcomed interviews as a way to publicize their cause. Hoffman conducted extensive fieldwork across some 30 countries. Now, as he notes, recent researchers have been imprisoned or kidnapped.
3. Threshold moments reshaped the discipline. 9/1 and the globalization of suicide terrorism are obvious. ISIS was the first transnational movement built on social media recruitment. October 7th introduced “existential” terrorism with regional cascading effects.
4. Tactics have evolved. From Mumbai (2008) to Paris (2015) to October 7 to coordinated “swarming” attacks and cheap drone warfare.
5. Institutional memory is weak. Governments cyclically declare victory and pivot away from counterterrorism. Then they have to relearn lessons.
6. Threats have diversified and become politicized. With domestic far-right and far-left terrorism coexisting today, Hoffman warns terrorism is being re-legitimized in troubling ways.

Closing wisdom:

Stay historically grounded but be daring intellectually. Favor comparative research over chasing narrow trends. For teachers, teach students how– not what– to think.