The True Origins of Modern Terrorism

The True Origins of Modern Terrorism

From CONFLICTED by Message Heard

April 16, 2026 · 1h 18m

About this episode

Thomas speaks with journalist Jason Burke about the true origins of modern terrorism and its evolution over the decades.

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to journalist Jason Burke about his new book The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s. Jason explains: Why the origins of modern terrorism lie earlier than the Afghan jihad of the 1980s The global revolutionary ferment of the 1960s and 70s Why early terrorist attacks were often designed to attract attention rather than cause mass casualties The role of Palestinian militant groups in pioneering modern tactics like hijacking Connections between European radicals, Japanese militants, and Middle Eastern groups How states adapted to terrorism through new counterterrorism measures The shift from theatrical violence to mass-casualty and suicide attacks The relationship between secular revolutionary movements and later Islamist militancy The Iranian Revolution as a turning point in the evolution of political violence Why many common narratives about the origins of jihadism are incomplete Find Jason on X: https://x.com/burke_jason Join the Conflicted Community here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm Find Conflicted on X: https://x.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted And…

People in this episode

Host: Thomas Small

Guest: Jason Burke

Topics covered

  • modern terrorism
  • origins of terrorism
  • political violence
  • counterterrorism
  • revolutionary movements

Keywords

  • Palestinian militant groups
  • theatrical violence
  • mass-casualty attacks
  • Islamist militancy
  • Iranian Revolution

Mentioned in this episode

Products: The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s

Books & works: this Conflicted Conversation, The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked, Conflicted is a Message Heard

More episodes of CONFLICTED

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the CONFLICTED podcast page.