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This book examines the question of whether terrorism works. Determining if political violence is effective and, if at all possible, when it is effective, would be of great policy relevance to groups who aim to further their goals, as well as law enforcement agencies who pursue the disbandment of violent non-state actors. If the historical record confirms that terrorist violence has failed to deliver in a variety of times and contexts, militants may be less likely to take up weapons and may opt for less costly—and more effective—tactics like non-violence (Chenoweth and Stephan 2011; Aksoy 2014). However, if inefficacy is conditional on some public policies, states will do everything possible to provide a hostile environment for the survival of terrorism. This may include a counterterrorist policy that combines a series of political, legal and security instruments that renders political violence ineffective. In essence, both governments …