Countering terrorism : can we meet the threat of global violence? /

Chandler (former chair of the UN group to monitor sanctions against the Taliban and the al Qaeda network) and Gunaratna (Tufts) provide a comprehensive, detailed analysis of many aspects of transnational terrorism. The bulk of the discussion centers on an extensive historical account of the Taliban and al Qaeda network, and what the international community needs to counter current and future threats from transnational terrorism. The authors argue that the international community failed woefully to capitalize on the golden opportunity presented after 9/11 to combat transnational terrorism through concerted, coordinated, and collaborative effort. Instead, the responses to terrorist threats have thus far relied heavily on military solutions, to the detriment of social, political, economic, and cultural interventions. A thorough analytical work with the potential to transform thinking about the present strategies on the war against terror, this book should be required reading for White House, Pentagon, and State Department officials responsible for counterterrorist operations. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. L. O. Imade Shaw University