Is Countering Global Terrorism a Form of Global War

Abstract

Developing theories about counterterrorism and counterterrorism strategy is made more difficult by problems of definitions (what is terrorism?), lack of consensus on the fundamental nature of terrorism (is it an ideology in and of itself, or a tactic?), and differing threat perceptions (is terrorism indeed a global problem?). In this paper, the author argues that the increased lethality, reach, and overall expanded competencies of terrorist groups means that all nations must confront terrorism in concert and without regard to an individual state's threat perception, and while terrorism and counterterrorism indeed do constitute a form of international war, application of military force as the principal counterterrorism measure is not necessarily feasible, suitable, or acceptable.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 28, 2010
Accession Number
ADA523908

Entities

People

  • Mohammed Al-hamami

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Crime
  • Department Of Defense
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Political Movements
  • Security
  • Societies
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • Violence
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Asian Economic Studies
  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Systems Analysis and Design