The Eye of the Believer. Psychological Influences on Counter-Terrorism Policy-Making

Abstract

This research examines social psychological aspects of the foreign and counter-terrorism policy-making processes. It presents common psychological biases that affect understanding the behavior of foreign actors in general and of sub-state terrorist groups in particular, and discusses the impact these biases can have on policies and ways in which the effects of these biases can be limited in the future. It concludes by presenting a critical analysis of specific counter- terrorism policy options for the near- and long-term, with a particular emphasis on meeting America's stated policy objective of deterring future terrorism. The study?5 findings will be of interest to the intelligence community, to foreign, defense and counter-terrorism policy-makers and analysts, and to scholars interested in understanding past counter-terrorism policies with an eye to improving future policy choices.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA411808

Entities

People

  • Jonathan M. Schachter

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Counterterrorism
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Health Services
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • International Security
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychology
  • Sociopolitics
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • Treaties

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design