NCJ Number
191936
Journal
Crime & Justice International Volume: 17 Issue: 56 Dated: October/November 2001 Pages: 19-23
Date Published
2001
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article reassesses the terrorist threat to the United States and offers suggestions on how to combat it.
Abstract
For many people in the United States the attack on the Word Trade Center and the Pentagon is best viewed as a wakeup call to a threat that has hung over the global community for more than half a century. What has changed is the increasing capability of those who would take innocent lives. The attacks on September 11 in the United States are not uncommon in many countries throughout the world. What distinguishes this most recent tragedy is the large number of lives lost. The threat is not new, nor was the attack much of a surprise to anyone who has studied terrorism. In the weeks ahead, pundits will criticize every aspect of U.S. security preparation and our relationships with intelligence and criminal justice agencies in other countries. There is a need not only to improve the intelligence function, to place greater emphasis on human intelligence, but also to improve our use of electronic surveillance and technology. Those who represent a threat will come under greater suspicion, and criminal investigation procedures will be broadened. The use of military assets will increase significantly, in the United States and abroad. And greater efforts will be made to bring other countries into the anti-terrorism loop through funding, training, and other forms of economic and military support. These concepts are not new. What is new is a dramatic change in the will to attack what is now perceived by most people as a common enemy and a common threat. To be successful the response must be measured and incremental. To maintain support, governments must recognize the mistakes of the past that caused the law enforcement and intelligence communities to lose support. Random searches and overzealous enforcement serve no legitimate or sensible purpose. Today, the enemy may be radical fundamentalists, but terrorism is not limited to Middle Eastern groups: domestic terrorism frequently involving single-issue groups has not disappeared. Unfortunately, the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have provided a new script for would-be fanatics—recognition that one need not secure traditional weapons to undertake a major attack. In assessing the future of terrorism, it makes little sense to argue that the attack in September was something new and unexpected. Terrorism, whether domestic or global, will be with the world through the decade ahead. Like crime, it will not be eliminated, but reducing the threat and number of catastrophic attacks must be a high priority. This will involve much greater level of cooperation among countries, a much improved intelligence capability, and the recognition that honest mistakes will be made.