Author(s): Rohan Gunaratna (Editor)

Afghanistan, Iraq, Middle East and War on Terror

Combating Terrorism brings together leading international experts from across the globe to assess the successes and failures of managing the terrorist threat. The post 9/11 trajectory of Al Qaeda has demonstrated that contemporary terrorist groups can only be defeated by adopting both military and non-military strategies. A multi-pronged, multi-dimensional, multi-agency and multinational approach is the key to managing the current threat. In addition to targeting the leaders, experts, support and operational infrastructure of terrorist networks, it is critical for governments to enlist the active participation of a range of state and non-state actors. They include religious figures, community leaders, schools, financial institutions, media organisations and private security professionals. In addition to countering virulent terrorist and extremist ideologies, it is critical to target terrorist finance, the lifeblood of terrorist organisations. The book not only discusses the roles of non-state actors but also examines the changing role of intelligence, law enforcement and private security professionals in the fight against terrorism.