Roots of Terror
Abstract
The Women in International Studies (WIIS), Georgetown University, in cooperation with the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI), U.S. Army War College, conducted a colloquium, "The Roots of Terror: Understanding the Evolving Threat of Global Terrorism," on February 12, 2007. This colloquium brought together over 150 U.S. and international government officials, academic experts, think tank members, and college faculty. The speakers' goals were to examine the following: (1) recruitment and support strategies used by terrorist organizations, (2) the environments that enable terrorism, and (3) implications for the future of counterterrorism. A panel was devoted to each of these goals. The colloquium revealed that, while social factors alone do not "make" a terrorist, extremists' ultimate aim is to use social factors to appeal to people and create community support for extremist goals. The problem is complex because different agendas exist in different regions and groups; thus, no single policy prescription is sufficient to eliminate supportive environments. The more that is learned through empirical data, the more difficult it becomes to create a profile of likely terrorists and to delineate their motivations. Self-identity with an oppressed community is often a key underlying factor in predicting who is likely to become a terrorist; additionally, most extremists express a desire to remake the world in a particular fashion. Finally, personal connections are of ultimate importance in recruitment regardless of region or ideology. Framing the counterterrorism issue is key to creating policy decisions and guidelines. Counterterrorism profiling has become nearly impossible due to terrorists' varied backgrounds and resilience in restructuring cells and command structures. Government agencies must implement strong leadership and management of counterterrorism policies and guidelines, and do so in a way that does not infringe on the legal rights of the individual.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA468292
Entities
People
- Corina Johnson
Organizations
- United States Army War College