Hobbes Versus Locke- Redefining the War on Terror

Abstract

This paper draws upon the European experiences with terrorism in order to draw lessons for today's strategic environment. The central thesis is that the current approach to terrorism is flawed. The West has developed a myopic view and has lost sight of wider strategic interests. Terrorism has replaced the wider security framework wholesale and plays an overly dominant role in policy formulation. The continued pursuit of terrorists by primarily military means will lead to a Hobbesian state of nature which is not in the interest of the Western World. A return to a broader view of the strategic environment, with a more constrained use of state violence, is recommended.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2008
Accession Number
ADA482252

Entities

People

  • Nico W. Tak

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil Rights
  • Civil War
  • Counterterrorism
  • Criminal Justice System
  • East Germany
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • National Security
  • Second World War
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Strategic Security Studies