The author begins her research with the analysis of Russian anarchism, which is at the roots of modern terrorism. However, she does not limit herself to studying the historical evolution of the phenomenon of terrorism, but also attempts an interpretation based on Clausewitz's theory of war and Lacan's psychoanalytic theory.

According to the author, terrorism is a morally condemnable form of war. The ideas of 19th-century Russian anarchism, nihilism, and the denial of self constitute its driving force. By referencing the works of Dostoevsky and Turgenev that allude to Nechayev, Hélène L'Engle connects Bakunin's internationalism with Al-Qaeda, and the critique of the West by Russian terrorists with Islamist terrorism.

The invocation of Nietzsche and the relationship between resentment and boredom lead the author to the conclusion that nihilism is the common source of Islamism and Nazism, which meet in their shared opposition to civilization. As terrorism calls for change through violence instead of law, it converges with totalitarianism.

Psychoanalysis - the author argues - allows us not to yield to the specter of any identity, e.g., the "Western" one. The human subject always has a hybrid nature, and only the acceptance of this split can have a peaceful character. Islamist texts that advocate for terrorism deny exactly this hybrid character of modern identities and promote the death drive.