NCJ Number
225418
Date Published
2007
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This chapter discusses ways in which terrorism and its methods have changed in the post-September 11 era.
Abstract
The historical world context in which terrorism has operated since September 11 consists of the increasing dependence of nation-states on one another for economic and physical security. This globalization involves the widening and deepening of the interconnectedness between and among states, economies, cultures, and individuals. It is within this context that terrorism has altered its organization and methods. There has been an increase in the incidence of religiously motivated attacks, an increase in the lethality of individual attacks, and the increased targeting of America and countries allied with America. This pertains to the expansion of America’s and its allies’ military presence in predominantly Muslim lands, as well as the expansion of Western democratic and cultural influences in opposition to traditional Islamic ways. Globalization has also changed terrorist methods. This includes the use of information technologies such as the Internet and mobile phones, a broadening of methods for obtaining financial resources to fund terrorist operations, and increased mobility of terrorist personnel and other resources. An effective response to terrorism must become detached from national, regional, political, and cultural interests by labeling terrorism as “crime against humanity.” September 11 must be viewed not just as an attack on America but on the core values of humanity as a whole. Further, the social context for counterterrorism must be cosmopolitanism and multiculturalism that undermines ethnocentrism while promoting cooperation, equality, and compromise in the interest of mutual progress. 13 references