Combating Terrorism: In Search of a National Strategy

• NCJ Number: 190563
• Author(s): Bruce Hoffman
• Date Published: March 2001
• Length: 10 pages
• Corporate Author: Rand Corporation
• Sale Source: Rand Corporation
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Legislative Hearing/Committee Report
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded September 25, 2001

Annotation

This document discusses the lack of a comprehensive, coordinated national strategy for combating terrorism in and outside of the United States.

Abstract

A critical prerequisite to such an integrated strategy is an assessment of the terrorist threat, both foreign and domestic, as it exists today and is likely to evolve in the future. Despite the trend of terrorist incidents becoming more and more lethal, there has been no formal foreign terrorism assessment for at least the past 6 years. There is no doubt that terrorism poses a dangerous threat to Americans traveling or working abroad. Nor is the situation different so far as terrorism in the United States itself is concerned. However, the actual number of terrorist incidents remains remarkably few and those that cause fatalities still less. Nevertheless, this is not meant to suggest that the government should become complacent about the threat of terrorism. Rather this highlights an asymmetry between perception and reality that an integrated threat assessment could redress. Terrorism is among the most dynamic of phenomena because of the number of adversaries, the emergence of new causes, the adoption of new tactics, and the greater access and availability of increasingly sophisticated weaponry. Without ongoing, comprehensive re-assessments the United States cannot be confident that the range of policies, countermeasures, and defenses adopted are the most relevant and appropriate ones. Given that terrorism today has become more complex in nature, the distinction between domestic and international threat is eroding. A process that facilitates the integration of domestic and foreign assessments might help to bridge the gap created by the different approaches to addressing the terrorist threat embraced by the law enforcement intelligence communities. In recent years terrorism has been regarded more as a law enforcement matter than the intelligence and national security issue it is. This approach is problematical and deprives the country of a critical advantage in the struggle against terrorism.