The silence behind the waves: The political significance of intermissions in Rapoport's theory

This study aims to reassess David C. Rapoport’s “FourWaves of Modern Terrorism” theory by focusing on a dimension that is largely overlooked in the model: the periods of “silence” or transitions between waves. While Rapoport’s theory conceptualizes each wave of terrorism as a roughly forty-year period marked by ideological and operational intensity, this article argues that the inter-wave silences should not be viewed merely as phases of inactivity, but rather as periods of ideological and organizational restructuring. A comparative historical analysis of the transition periods -Anarchistto Anti-Colonial, Anti-Colonial to New Left, and New Left to Religious - reveals common structural features of these phases: ideological exhaustion, ruptures in the global political context, and the reconstruction of organizational frameworks. The sesilent periods represent critical thresholds during which the ideological foundations of new waves are laid and strategic realignments are actively pursued. The study proposes three theoretical contributions: (1) the conceptualization of silence as a distinct phase of transformation rather than inactivity; (2) a structural model of terrorism history based on ruptures and re-alignments rather than linear continuity; (3) a heuristic framework to interpret potential signs of a forthcoming fifth wave. By problematizing the passive reading of transition periods, the study calls for a revised understanding of terrorism’s temporal rhythm - notas a smooth progression, but as a discontinuous sequence shaped by crisis, collapse and reconstruction.