International Terrorism and Third World Conflict
Abstract
Terrorist incidents during the 1980s drove the Reagan Administration to adopt a series of policy initiatives to combat the threat. The US combatting terrorism policy as stated in the Vice President's Task Force Report on Combatting Terrorism has enjoyed some success in dealing with the international terrorist threat. Terrorist activities no longer dominate today's headlines. However, logic would dictate that the U.S. is enjoying a temporary lull in overt terrorist acts directed against our interests and that the terrorism genie is not dead but merely resting. Demise of superpower influence during 1990s will most likely lead to increased regional instabilities and smaller but more intense disagreements--an atmosphere ripe for the use of terrorism. State sponsored terrorism, classical terrorist groups, and terrorism used as a tactic by insurgents and the drug cartel will flourish in this environment. The USG has developed an infrastructure based on the lead agency concept to deal with the international terrorist threat. This endeavor led by the Department of State uses an array of foreign policy tools in the multilateral, bilateral and unilateral areas. The interagency approach has proven to be effective in coordinating USG activities--the US military and the USAF are integral players in this effort.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA241438
Entities
People
- Larry W. Tieman
Organizations
- Air War College