If the contributors to this excellent survey of "the new terrorism" are correct, then the world needs to be prepared for a long and frustrating fight. The forces behind the new terrorism are structural in nature, the product of modernization and globalization, and terrorists are using the instruments of modernization and globalization to wage their war. Worse, they are tapping religious fervor to gather and rally their troops. Winning this fight will require patience and confidence; governments must wield the iron fist against terrorists yet balance their security efforts with a sensitivity to the longer-term forces that breed terrorism. Good luck.
"The New Terrorism" begins with a discussion of the global dimensions of the problem. The first half tries to define and assess terrorism. The authors conclude that globalization has permanently altered the political landscape, rendering vulnerable even "unipolar hegemons" like the United States. Global communications have empowered terrorist organizations, linking like-minded groups, and making it easier to set up essential support structures among diaspora and migrant communities around the world. These networks disseminate propaganda, raise funds, recruit and train terrorists and procure weapons.
The privatization and liberalization that are the foundations of the Western reform agenda have not only alienated countless individuals worldwide -- because they impoverish many, break up traditional hierarchies and represent the imposition of foreign ideals -- but they have also made it easier for opponents of the system to fight. They diminish the state at the expense of the individual, giving the terrorist a new advantage.
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