How Overreaction and Misdirection Play into the Strategy of Terrorism
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Terrorism seeks to weaken strong powers like the United States by goading them to overreact and waste their own blood and treasure, give sympathy and recruiting gains to terrorists, and come loose from their ideological moorings. Beyond avoiding war and misdirected homeland security efforts, sound counterterrorism strategy requires subtle awareness of the different ways a victim state’s actions can play into terrorists’ hands. Countering the strategic logic of terrorism will require policymakers to adopt very disciplined responses and deny superficially appealing impulses toward overreaction. Please join Cato scholars David Rittgers and Christopher Preble to discuss a more effective way to respond to terrorist threats and activities.
