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Terrorism

 

Since the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, Cato Institute scholars have published a series of articles examining various issues, ranging from military strategy to civil liberties to the economic and political impact of the attacks. Below you'll find these pieces arranged by topic. Media should click on the "press information" link at the left for list of Cato experts in each of these areas.

 

Terrorism Topics

 






 

Past Cato Work on Terrorism

 

Before September 11, Cato Institute scholars addressed a variety of issues related to terrorism now under discussion among policymakers. A sampling of this work is listed below.

Did U.S. Intervention Contribute to September 11?
In 1998, Cato's Ivan Eland wrote a Briefing Paper entitled "Does U.S. Intervention Overseas Breed Terrorism? The Historical Record." In it, he argued that U.S. policy concentrates too much on apprehending and retaliating to terrorism instead of examining its motivation and root causes. He concluded that "the United States could reduce the chances of such devastating--and potentially catastrophic--terrorist attacks by adopting a policy of military restraint overseas."

Wrong Emphasis?
In the 1996 study "Why Spy? The Uses and Misuses of Intelligence," Cato research fellow Stanley Kober argued that intelligence agencies focus too much attention on economic espionage when they should devote their resources to the most serious security threats, principally international terrorism and adverse political trends.

The Cato Handbook for Congress
Excerpts from the 1998 Cato Handbook pertaining to terrorism and civil liberties.

tv How Should the U.S. Respond to Terrorism?
In November of 2000, Cato hosted a policy forum on how the United States should combat terrorist attacks. The forum featured Anthony Cordesman, Center for Strategic and International Studies; John Parachini, Monterey Institute of International Studies; Bruce Hoffman, RAND Corporation; and Ivan Eland of the Cato Institute. Click the link above to watch archived coverage.