It is with a tremendous sense of gratitude and a substantial measure of
humility that I acknowledge and thank the people who have contributed
to this book. I am indebted to Brent Smith for giving me the
opportunity to work with him on the American Terrorism Study. His
passion for terrorism research, and his dedication to empirical study,
provided the inspiration for this work.
None of this would have been possible without the guidance,
comments, and support I received from Kelly Damphousse, Mindy
Bradley-Engen, and Todd Shields. I am particularly grateful to Kelly
Damphousse for the detailed editorial comments he provided, and for
his help and collaboration on earlier papers—the resulting publications
helped lay the groundwork for the grants that funded this research. I
extend a special thanks to Mindy Bradley-Engen for the thoughtful
feedback she readily provided, and for always being available to help
me work through the methodological components. I am especially
grateful to Todd Shields for the help and guidance he provided during
this process.
Having worked for the Terrorism Research Center in the Fulbright
College at the University of Arkansas for nine years, I would be remiss
if I neglected to thank the agencies that provided the funding that has
made the data collection and analyses possible. The Memorial Institute
for the Prevention of Terrorism in Oklahoma City and the National
Institute of Justice funded numerous research projects that led to the
creation of the American Terrorism Study and the Prosecutorial and
Defense Methods Database. Since 2010, the START Center of
Excellence at the University of Maryland has been an invaluable
partner to the Terrorism Research Center, and allowed our important
research to continue. Indeed, their support allowed me to complete this
book.