Liberty and Justice for All: The Democracy Project and the Global War on Terrorism
Abstract
The Bush administration has declared that the spread of democracy with its habits of freedom is the best way to protect America from international terrorism. This conclusion is based on a presumption that political freedom is a strong determinant of terrorism. This paper contends that not all democratic forms are equally able to eliminate the conditions that are exploited by terrorist organizations. Furthermore, the U.S. must understand the manner in which political freedom, economic conditions and religion is related to affiliation with terrorist organizations. Assessing the convergence of these factors revealed several key findings. First, states that exhibit both political and religious repression are extremely prone to terrorist exploitation. Second, states with growing economic conditions and high relative deprivation are more prone to terrorist exploitation than states without these conditions. Finally, the convergence of political repression and growing economies in Islamic states is extremely prone to terrorist exploitation. In the end, understanding these conditions can help GWOT planners identify high risk states that are not currently affiliated with terrorist organizations. If the internal conditions of these states can be improved, terrorists dislocated from current states by GWOT efforts will not have new sanctuaries in which to fall back. In summary, by assessing these relationships and factors, this thesis can help decision-makers frame the next stages and ultimate objectives of the Global War on Terrorism.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA477013
Entities
People
- B. C. Saltzman
Organizations
- Air University