The War on Terrorism: 21st-century Perspectives

by Stephen Gale

Overview

On September 11, 2001, a small number of desperate men hoping to earn paradise attacked New York and Washington, D.C. Their spectacular acts of destruction concluded America's nearly decade-long vacation from insecurity, known as the "post-Cold War era." As eras go, this one was short and it certainly ended with a bang, not a whimper. The United States, still sole superpower, was now challenged by a bleak new world. Americans do not care for the bleak and do not tolerate it for long. Predictably, national shock soon became righteous anger, coupled to international campaigns against groups and states held responsible for the scourge of terrorism. These were short-term measures that hurt our enemies but did not "fix" the problem.Not long after these events, the Foreign Policy Research Institute organized a new Center on Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Homeland Security. Its purpose was to take a longer term view of the terrorism problem and what might be done about it—not only academic research but also policy suggestions. This book contains a broad selection of the Center's output, including essays on American strategy, homeland security, knowing the enemy, and the military dimension. A notable feature is the discussion of the educational issue: what and how to teach our children about terrorism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412808378
Publisher:	Transaction Publishers
Publication date:	11/15/2008
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Stephen Gale is co-chairman of the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Center on Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Homeland Security and a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania with appointments in the departments of regional science and political science.

Harvey Sicherman is the president of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and a former aide to three U.S. Secretaries of State.

Michael S. Radu (1947-2009) was a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and co-chairman of its Center on Terrorism and Political Violence. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Eastern Europe and the Third World: East vs. South; Europe’s Ghost: Tolerance, Jihadism, and the Crisis in the West; and Dangerous Neighborhood: Contemporary Issues in Turkey’s Foreign Relations. In addition his work has appeared in Newsweek, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

Table of Contents

Introduction – Harvey Sicherman; 1: A. American Strategy; 2: B. Homeland Security; 3: C. Knowing the Enemy; 4: D. Counterterrorism and the Military Dimension; 5: What Young People Should Know About Terrorism