Terror in the Name of God, Jessica Stern's exhaustive study of violent extremists and the factors that sustain them, provides unprecedented insight into acts of inexplicable horror inspired by faith. Stern's work on this project brought her in contact with the Pakistani Taliban, the Jewish Underground in Israel, Hamas in Palestine, and violent fundamentalist Christians in the United States. Stern provides unprecedented insight into the organizations that are essential to terrorist action, and the most effective ways to stop them. Named a Notable Book by the New York Times, Terror in the Name of God analyzes the components of religious extremism, demonstrating how organizations are built, what terrorist groups require in order to be effective, and where they find what they need. Ultimately, Stern concludes that war may be the least effective response to this kind of threat. Jessica Stern is a Lecturer in Public Policy and a faculty affiliate of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. From 1994-95, she served as Director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council. She is the author of The Ultimate Terrorists (Harvard University Press, 1999), and of numerous articles on terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

She received a bachelor's degree from Barnard College in chemistry, a Master of Science degree from MIT, and a doctorate in public policy from Harvard. "Stern's firsthand encounters bring a valuable and much-needed perspective to the problem of religious violence." --Publishers Weekly.