DURING the 1980s, anarchy and terrorism was Michel Wieviorka’s main focus of attention. As a French sociologist, he studied the growth of anarchist and terrorist groups in France, Italy, and the Basque (ETA) areas as well as in Palestine. He observed how the terrorism pendulum swung from the left—struggles on behalf of the people—to the right, which were executed in the name of religion.

Wieviorka’s interest in terrorism began when his