Counterterrorism Strategies

This chapter offers a comparison of eight counterterrorism strategies and instruments, many of which overlap or are pursued simultaneously: (1) crushing terrorist groups directly with massive force; (2) targeting terrorist leaders for death and arrest; (3) relying on allies to strike terrorist groups; (4) containing the terrorist group to limit its effectiveness and encourage internal divisions; (5) improving defenses against terrorism; (6) delegitimating the group’s cause; (7) conciliating terrorists; and (8) going after supposed root causes of terrorism. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and identifies some of the conditions under which it is most likely to be effective. It concludes by offering recommendations for further research.