Islamic “exceptionalism” remains a popular concept in political science, especially in explanations of why Muslim-majority countries lack the levels of political freedom we find in other regions of the world. Analysts have asserted various other ways in which the Islamic world is exceptional, including its reliance on natural resource wealth, its treatment of women, and its apparent irreconcilability with liberal values. In Islamist Terrorism and Democracy in the Middle East, Katerina Delacoura closely examines another phenomenon sometimes considered unique to the Muslim world: terrorism. However, rather than arguing for the exceptionalism of this phenomenon, she rightly places it in the context of global terrorism studies, investigating the oft-made claim that Islamist terrorism has political causes stemming from nondemocratic structures prevalent throughout the region.

The book's central question is driven by U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East post-9/11, asking whether promoting democracy will decrease terrorism. Taking a broad view of the Middle East (which entails including Iran, Turkey, and North Africa), Delacoura argues that there is no causal link between authoritarianism in the Middle East and terrorism performed by Islamist movements. Through 11 case studies, the author convincingly demonstrates that the lack of democracy—or, more accurately, grievances caused by the lack of opportunities for groups to participate in the political process—is not a necessary cause of these groups' decision to employ terrorist tactics. While many groups are motivated by political grievances, their choice of terrorism cannot be attributed directly to their political exclusion. The author thus explores additional explanations for terrorism, including what she describes as socioeconomic and strategic/instrumental motivations.

In evaluating the theory that terrorism is linked to democracy, the author correctly recognizes that in order to understand why some Islamist groups engage in terrorist violence, we must also examine those groups that choose to “moderate” or not engage in this type of violence. She uses secondary sources and primary interviews of participants in the Islamist movements and their observers to assess the motivations for the actions of these actors. The breadth of the primary sources is notable, with the author having conducted interviews over a period of five years in seven Middle Eastern countries. While emphasizing that she does not seek to articulate a theory of the causes of Islamist terrorism, Delacoura is able to offer some explanations for the choice that groups across the Middle East have made to employ terrorism as a form of political action.

The author's method of analysis is comparative case study. Pairing the transnational groups Al Qaeda and Hizb ut Tahrir—the latter of which does not engage in terrorism—she concludes that rootlessness and the lack of opportunities for political participation do not cause terrorism; rather, she argues that Al Qaeda uses terror strategically to advance its interests (Chapter 2). Comparing the national liberation groups Hamas and Hezbollah, Delacoura finds that repression and political exclusion play a limited role in explaining why these groups have, at various times, used and abandoned terrorist tactics (Chapter 3). Instead, as in the case of Al Qaeda, strategic calculations help to explain why these groups believed that terrorism was the best method to use to get their desired outcomes. For the domestic insurgent Armed Islamic Group (GIA) in Algeria and the Islamic Group (Gamaa Islamiya) in Egypt as well, repression and exclusion from the political process offer only partial explanations for their use of terrorism (Chapter 4). She argues that socioeconomic causes are important in explaining why these two groups turned to terrorism, while strategic/instrumental factors also have some relevance.

Turning to nonterrorist Islamist movements, Delacoura addresses the question concerning whether political inclusion or the responsibility of governing (albeit in authoritarian or not fully consolidated democratic contexts) moderates such groups. She studies groups in Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, and Iran to answer this question (Chapters 5 and 6). Again, she finds instrumental calculations to be key for explaining when Islamist movements choose to abandon terrorist tactics or adopt moderate platforms. This involves gauging the amount of social support that exists for these groups, and adjusting strategies accordingly. She therefore concludes: “Overall, strategic/instrumental calculations are highly significant—perhaps the most significant—factors both in the adoption of terrorist tactics and in the decision to eschew them…. In all cases, political explanations relating to democracy and participation may play a role in accounting for an overall direction—whether moderate or terrorist—but they are not decisive” (p. 183).

The varied explanations for groups' use of terrorism point to the challenging task of theory building in terrorism studies. Delacoura is successful in debunking the hypothesis that greater democracy reduces terrorism by means of case studies that closely trace the development of Islamist movements and the timing of their terrorist actions (and/or decision to moderate). However, she does not articulate an alternative theory, which may frustrate those who expect an explanation for Islamist terrorism from her book. Given the findings of her case studies, the author hints at the possible fruitfulness of developing a rational choice–based theory of terrorism. However, the discussions of how her cases fit this theory are often cursory, relegated to the final few pages of each chapter. One is left wondering why she did not devote more attention to building a theory she finds compelling, rather than tearing down one she finds to be insufficient. Understandably, such an endeavor would be arduous given the difficulties involved in gathering data to assess the calculations of political actors—a task made more problematic when terrorist organizations that often operate covertly are studied.

Ultimately, Islamist Terrorism and Democracy in the Middle East is a valuable addition to our body of knowledge about the development of Islamist movements and the reasons for their moderation and radicalization. Extending beyond the scope of terrorism studies, Delacoura provides a rich and nuanced understanding of a number of political movements across the broader Middle East that contributes to an ongoing discussion about the role of Islamism in the region's politics. For policymakers, it is an informative study that emphasizes the importance of considering national context in determining foreign policy. For scholars of comparative politics and international relations, it suggests that moving away from explanations that focus on regime type and toward more extensive explorations of social, economic, and strategic factors is likely to generate greater understanding of political movements across the globe. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of case study research in theory development across the discipline.