NCJ Number
190732
Journal
Studies in Conflict and Terrorism Volume: 24 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2001 Pages: 407-416
Date Published
2001
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This document provides an international perspective of terrorism and counterterrorism.
Abstract
There are seven perspectives relating to developments in terrorism from an international viewpoint. It is now an era of low intensity and intermittently high impact conflicts in which variation and complexity are the key features and the victims are innocent parties. All the old challenges are still present to a degree but they have been augmented by newer, more diffuse threats. The geography of international terrorism is changing and South Asia is growing in significance. The boundaries between terrorism and other serious crime are dwindling markedly. The image of the so-called freedom fighter is now heavily tainted with common criminality. Newer methodologies, particularly cyber-terrorism and the threatened use of weapons of mass destruction, deserve serious but measured consideration. The continuing security endeavor must be sustained, multifaceted, multipurpose, innovative, and flexible. Modern counterterrorism is now more than ever an inclusive team activity. The key is to identify, access, and marshal all the skills and energies in both the public and the private sectors. Perhaps the most important foundation for an effective counterterrorist strategy is the priority of intelligence. The second vital element anchoring the strategy is the cohesion of the component elements of counterterrorism within an integrated command and control system. In times of a flexible threat, flexibility of thought and action is essential. The menace of electronic attacks on the infrastructure is a classic example of where this need applies today. 3 notes