![]() Yet, thanks to these cultural norms along with widespread economic opportunities and equality under the law, the U.S. like to make fun of Hollywood movies and the social rituals that Americans go through each year: Halloween and Thanksgiving are in many respects more popular than Christmas. An intelligence strategy that targets the sources of terrorism, both the perpetrators and the social movements that underlie them, should be the first component of the campaign against terror. It was radical communism in the 1970s and 1980s it is a perverted and fanatical misrepresentation of Islam nowadays. Importantly, the ideological dimension should not be ignored because it explains the extremes to which terrorists are willing to arrive: A suicide attack requires a person who has muted both his basic survival instinct and all sense of natural compassion for others. Intelligence implies understanding the motivations, leadership structure, and modus operandi of terrorist organizations, and developing a plan that can anticipate and adapt to their constantly morphing operations. For a strategy to have any chance against terrorism, it should be based on intelligence. It is impossible to protect all flanks, and some of the measures taken to prevent the previous terrorist attacks are, well, frankly silly. And the potential weapons are too many to count: a squadron of suicide bombers, a big truck ramming through the streets, two or three comrades armed with semi-automatic guns. Modern societies offer many exposed and vulnerable targets: an airport, a crowded celebration by the beach, a bus station at peak hours, or a restaurant full of expats. A terrorist attack is relatively easy to conduct. ![]() To defeat terrorism, a policy strategy should include three components: intelligence, integration, and development. These lessons are not just academic: Understanding the root causes of terrorism can lead to policies for prevention and for reducing the severity of attacks. We thought that the answers had to come from research, and we tried to gather the best available evidence and arguments to understand the links between these security threats and economic development.Īfter the myriad of recent terrorist attacks-in Istanbul, Munich, Nice, Bagdad, Brussels, and Paris, to name a few-we found it important to recap lessons learned. In the 1980s, my home country, Peru, suffered immensely from terrorism: The badly called “Shining Path” organization, with its communist ideology and ruthless tactics, terrorized first rural communities and then large cities with deadly bombs in crowded places and assassinations of official and civil society leaders.Ī few years ago, Phil Keefer, lead economist at the World Bank, and I edited two books on what we perceived to be the main security threats of our time: terrorism and drug trafficking. ![]() ![]() They have been, however, long brewing and have affected many countries around the world. It seems that terrorism and political violence are becoming more prevalent and intense. Yet, it paled in comparison to what the injured and dead and their relatives had to suffer. And when the attack was over, she saw the blood, desolation, chaos, and tears of the aftermath. She hid in a closet with a few people, including a small girl, disconcerted and afraid. My partner was caught at the Istanbul airport during the latest terrorist attack.
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