This book focuses on individuals' acts perceived as international terrorism and on states' acts perceived as state support, emphasising on the legal aspects of military responses and discussing political, economic, and cultural dimensions as they bear on the feasibility of the possible response.

This study should help us as a nation deal with being uncertain as to how best to deal with the threat posed by terrorism. We do not understand international terrorism in an international law context. We tend to emphasize the inadequacies of international law in dealing with terrorism without fully comprehending the usefulness of international law. We need an anchor for our thinking and for our actions. We need to return to basics, to grasp the fundamentals. We need to clarify in our own minds what our legal approach to international terrorism should be and what assumptions we must make in taking such an approach. Both private and public studies, including one by the Vice President.s Task Force on Combatting Terrorism, have called for an in-depth legal analysis of this social phenomenon. As members of a democratic society we are governed by the rule of law. Yet, we know so little about the role of law in combating international terrorism, which is both ironic and sad. We need to improve our intellect and sharpen our insight into such issues as: What is the legal responsibility of one state to another and to the international community concerning terrorism? How should terrorism be approached? Should it be considered a criminal activity in a law enforcement context or should it be viewed as a combatant activity in an armed conflict context? What legal reasoning exists to support the use of military force against international terrorists as well as their state sponsors and supporters? This study, written for both the lawyer and the lay person, explores these and other legal issues. For the benefit of the general reader, the text has been written with minimum reliance upon legal jargon. The legal scholar should refer to the endnotes for a more exhaustive legal treatment of concepts and issues. Chapter 1 looks at the nature of international terrorism and the seriousness of the threat. This chapter is important because it provides a foundation for judging what legal approach we should take to terrorism. It also examines some of the factors that we must consider in deciding on an appropriate legal basis for the employment of military force abroad in combating terrorism. Chapter 2 addresses choice of law, reviewing the pros and cons of various legal approaches to dealing with terrorism. Should the approach be essentially law enforcement or should it be combatant? Should the challenge of international terrorism be viewed as a peacetime crisis or as a situation of armed conflict? Does the degree of state sponsorship or support make a difference? Chapter 3 examines the much overlooked concept of state responsibility. State responsibility is the international law concept of the duty that one state owes to another in the international community. States that sponsor or support terrorist activities against other states do so in disregard of their state responsibility. When this occurs what rights does the injured state acquire? Chapters 4-6 form the core of the study. These chapters show how, throughout the twentieth century and culminating with the United Nations Charter, the international community has sought to restrain the use of force as a method for resolving international disputes. Today, only a limited number of circumstances justify the force option. These circumstances are contained in legal concepts or principles that, if satisfied, could serve as a rationale for legitimate use of military force abroad. Such principles include, for example, individual and collective selfdefense, anticipatory self defense, regional peacekeeping, protection of one's nationals, and invitation. Chapter 7 summarizes the lessons learned and offers some thought about future directions. Finally, a detailed bibliography provides the reader with a starting point for further independent research.

Thousands of people have died at the hands of terrorist groups who rely on state support for their activities. Iran and Syria are well known as sponsors of terrorism, while other countries, some with strong connections to the West, have enabled terrorist activity by turning a blind eye. Daniel Byman's hard-hitting and articulate book analyzes this phenomenon. Focusing primarily on sponsors from the Middle East and South Asia, it examines the different types of support that states provide, their motivations, and the impact of such sponsorship. The book also considers regimes that allow terrorists to raise money and recruit without providing active support. The experiences of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Libya are detailed here, alongside the histories of radical groups such as al-Qaida and Hizballah. The book concludes by assessing why it is often difficult to force sponsors to cut ties to terrorist groups and suggesting ways in which it could be done better in the future.

This new study challenges the widely held view that many current US adversaries cannot be deterred, maintaining that deterrence is not a relic of the Cold War period and that it should shape US policies toward so-called ‘rogue states’ and terror groups. James Lebovic argues that deterrence principles continue to apply, and focuses upon the ‘three pillars’ of the Bush administration’s national security policy: missile defence, which preoccupied the administration until September 11, 2001 pre-emption, which became the US focus with the September 11 attacks and US success in overthrowing the Taliban regime in Afghanistan homeland security, which the administration has portrayed as more a natural response to threat than an aspect of policy that must be reconciled with the other pillars. Deterring International Terrorism and Rogue States asserts that bad offences and defences have been endemic to the current US policy approach, leading US policy makers to pursue policies that require them to do everything without adequate concern for resource trade-offs, overreach, and unintended consequences. This book will be of great interest to students of US foreign policy, national and international security, terrorism and international relations in general.

The United States government-backed by the overwhelming support of the American public-takes a hard line against international terrorism. The tenets of official U.S. counterterrorist policy are: make no concessions or deals with terrorists; bring them to justice for their crimes; isolate and apply pressure on states that sponsor terrorism; and bolster the counterterrorist capabilities of countries willing to work with the United States. While these tenets are sound principles, their application, specifically overseas, raises difficult questions. Does the "no deal" policy actually deter terrorists acts? Are there cases where agreements might reduce terrorism, while advancing other U.S. interests? Do isolation and pressure really force offending states to alter their support for terrorists? What factors affect the willingness, not just the capability, of foreign governments to help the United States in counterterrorism? In this critical study, a career CIA officer provides a guide to constructing and executing counterterrorist policy, urging that it be formulated as an integral part of broader U.S. foreign policy. In the first four chapters, Paul R. Pillar identifies the necessary elements of counterterrorist policy, he examines why the United States is a prime terrorist target, and he reveals why the counterterrorist policies that seem strongest are not always the most effective. Chapter 5 examines the widely varying nature of terrorist groups and the policy tools most appropriately applied to them. Chapter 6 focuses on states that sponsor terrorism (including Iran, Libya, North Korea, and Cuba), along with those that enable it to occur (particularly Greece and Pakistan). Pillar examines ways in which the American public's perspective toward terrorism can actually constrain counterterrorist policy, and he concludes that terrorism cannot be "defeated" only reduced, attenuated, and to some degree, controlled. The final chapter summarizes his recommendations f

A military response has been a viable option for combating international terrorism in the past and it will continue to be an option in the future. Possible military actions range from rescuing hostages to neutralizing terrorist camps and making direct strikes against targets verified as the infrastructure for state-sponsored training and support complexes of complex groups. The military response is part of a larger strategy that seeks to maximize the risk of punishment for terrorists and their sponsors and supporters while minimizing their potential rewards. In this context military action must be consistent with international law. If states decide that all means are justified, then those acting to preserve the rule of law in the face of the terrorist threat will become indistinguishable from the evil they seek to undo. Colonel Erickson?s study presents an overview of international law directed at the issue of managing international terrorism. This study is thought provoking and provides the decision-maker with a useful tool. Of particular note is the checklist provided in appendix A that summarizes chapters 4-6. It behooves everyone dedicated to achieving a world free from terror to learn more of this phenomenon and how we can deal with it. Colonel Erickson?s study, for the first time and in one place, makes available a general survey of international law concerning this subject. I highly recommend his study. Robert W. Norris Major General, United States Air Force The Judge Advocate General, United States Air Force

Readership: Academics and students studying the law of state responsibility and the legal regime applicable to international terrorism; Government, UN and international/regional organization legal advisers.

While geography is not the only factor to shape human behavior, its influence on terrorists’ motivations, behaviors, options, and activities is a primary consideration in understanding terrorism. Taking a different approach than many other books on terrorism, The Geography of International Terrorism: An Introduction to Spaces and Places of Violent Non-State Groups presents an accessible, cross-disciplinary approach to managing terrorism on a global scale. The authors articulate the role of physical and human geography in terrorist ideology, operations, haven formation, and control. Providing the wider perspective required for preempting and countering terrorism, the book focuses on the geographic perspective in a more explicit manner than previous treatments of the topic. The authors examine networks as global systems and discuss new geospatial technologies in counterterrorism, supplying a blend of concepts and techniques that support policy development within the governing counter terrorist community. There are hundreds of books on terrorism, but few if any focus on the influence of geography, geospatial analysis, and geospatial intelligence approaches. A combination of academic theory and practical applications, this book provides the vertical linkage between topics at the high resolution level, such as sense of place and cultural identity of a clan or tribe with regional and global geographic-scale issues critical to understanding 21st century international terrorist groups.