"Dr. Sloan writes this book primarily for senior- and middle-level officials and officers who will be responsible for conducting war against terrorism. He examines several definitional problems, analyzes the factors involved in developing approaches to counter and preempt terrorism, and looks at the policy issues regarding the use of force."--Web site

This study proposes a new approach to countering terrorism which includes the involvement of the U.S. military in preemptive operations. Includes : various definition of terrorism, policy issues regarding the use of force, target selection & other topics.

The face of terrorism has changed considerably in the 13-plus years since Beating International Terrorism was first published. Whereas we once considered terrorism to be primarily a tool of our archenemies in the Soviet Union, it currently has many faces and is much harder to fight. With the breakdown of the Soviet Union, there is no superpower counterpoise to the United States. People, and states, with perceived grievances against us are attacking in the only way they dare: with terrorist tactics. Terrorist groups proliferate, and the threat is more ambiguous and more complicated. More state sponsors have entered the field, and so have groups without the backing of any government-for example, criminals who are out for monetary rather than political gains. Terrorist groups now are typically smaller and harder to detect. They may have no hierarchy as such, but they can coordinate their actions by means of the Internet. This makes them harder for intelligence services to penetrate. But in light of the growing and easily availability of weapons of mass destruction-particularly biological ones-prior knowledge and effective action may be even more important to protect our nation. With the publication of this revised edition, Dr. Stephen Sloan, an internationally recognized expert on the subject, has taken a fresh look at the terrorist-fighting strategy he proposed in 1986 while serving a two-year tour with Air University's Center for (now College of) Aerospace Doctrine, Research, and Education. He finds that although his original proposal for fighting terrorists in their own nests was sound for the time, the present day situation calls for a much more stringent and long-term approach involving information warfare, special operations capability, and international cooperation. Dr. Sloan finds that, even faced with these new threats, US efforts against terrorism are blunted by bureaucratic infighting and turf battles. The question continues: Is terrorism a criminal act or an act of war? How we fight it depends on how that question is answered. He believes our efforts are still essentially reactive, and while we are learning to meet the challenge, the learning curve is much too slow. We hope this book will promote continued thought and discussion in the still very real "war in the shadows."

In this book, the author offers an approach to understanding and fighting the increase in domestic and international terrorism throughout the world. Citing diverse examples from around the globe, he demonstrates that domestic terrorist groups are usually no match for an advanced technological society which can successfully roll back terror without any significant curtailment of civil liberties. But he sees an even more potent threat from the new international terrorism which is increasingly the product of Islamic militants, who draw their inspiration and directives from Iran and its growing cadre of satellite states. The spread of fundamentalist Islamic terrorism, coupled with the possibility that Iran will acquire nuclear weapons, poses a more frightening threat from an adversary less rational and therefore less controllable than was Soviet Communism. How democracies can defend themselves against this new threat concludes this book.

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In this innovative and concise work, Israeli politician Benjamin Netanyahu offers a compelling approach to understanding and fighting the increase in domestic and international terrorism throughout the world. Citing diverse examples from around the globe, Netanyahu demonstrates that domestic terrorist groups are usually no match for an advanced technological society which can successfully roll back terror without any significant curtailment of civil liberties. But Netanyahu sees an even more potent threat from the new international terrorism which is increasingly the product of Islamic militants, who draw their inspiration and directives from Iran and its growing cadre of satellite states. The spread of fundamentalist Islamic terrorism, coupled with the possibility that Iran will acquire nuclear weapons, poses a more frightening threat from an adversary less rational and therefore less controllable than was Soviet Communism. How democracies can defend themselves against this new threat concludes this provocative book.