Short description:

This book will explain the need for a global network in order to counter international terrorism and the threat of WMD, and elaborates on how it could be created.

Long description:

This volume shows us that in order to deal with today?s Fourth Generation asymmetric warfare by terrorist groups using conventional arms and weapons of mass destruction, we need a new ?global networked? approach.

The contributors examine the various attempts that have been made to counter the latest wave of terrorism, including the US strikes against Afghanistan and Iraq, President George W. Bush's declaration of a ?war against terrorism?, the creation of the US Department of Homeland Security, and the 9/11 Commission. Drawing from our experience with ?Terrorism Early Warning? and the co-production of counter-terrorism intelligence, this book explains the need for such a network and shows how it could be formed. It compiles the opinions of experts from clinical medicine, public policy, law enforcement and the military. These expert contributors identify the nature of a global counter-terrorism network, show how it could be created, and provide clear guidelines for gauging its future effectiveness.

This book will be of great interest to all students of terrorism studies, US national security, international relations, and political science in general.

Table of Contents:

Part 1. The Historical Perspective on Terrorism  1. From poisoned wells to a contaminated postal system: the societal impact of terrorism, bioterrorism, biowarfare and the great plagues through the millennia  2. Counter-terrorism networks of the past  3. A discussion of the variety of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological weapons and their possible future use  4. Strategic early warning for transnational organized crime and terrorism  5. Terrorist's Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction  Part 2. Protecting Critical Infrastructure  6. What needs protecting, who needs protecting, and how much protecting is enough?  7. Threat and planning in the Information Age  8. Soft targets, suicide bombers and appropriate countermeasures. Where do we draw the line when everything can?t be protected 24/7?  Part 3. The Changing Dynamics of Post-modern Terrorism  9. What is the likely motivation of terrorists, highlighting the importance of humiliation, hopelessness, lack of respect, and revenge as opposed to poverty and ignorance?  10. Responding to Religious Terrorism on a Global Scale  11. Terrorism in Algeria: The Role of the Community in Combating Terrorism  Part 4. Fusing Terrorism Preparedness and Response Into a Global Network  12. Future Directions in Combating Terrorism  13. The new terrorist treat environment; continuity and change in counter-terrorism intelligence 14. The role of the US military?s global war on terrorism and how it fits in with past and current US foreign policy  15. Actionable Intelligence in Support of Homeland Security Operations  16. International law?s response to terrorism  17. Terrorism mimicking the state: a very different, networked, decentralized, outsourcing form of terrorism in the twenty-first century of market-states  18. What is the current and possible future role of information technology in preventing and countering terrorism, including building a collaborative information sharing and visualization system or network?  19. Building an Anti-Terror Network: An international perspective on fusing law enforcement and intelligence  20. Fusing terrorism security and response