Bekjempelse av internasjonal terrorisme : fra militærmakt til utviklingshjelp

Abstract

The present report provides an overview over different strategies of combating terrorism. It serves to clarify the conceptual basis for analyses in the TeTe2 project and can be used as a reference document that provides a brief introduction to various anti- and counterterrorism tools. The report outlines major traits of the so-called ‘new’ terrorism, before discussing means of combating it. At present, the main terrorist threat emerges from radical militant Islamism and has been dominated by the al-Qaida group. While one of the threat’s defining features is a global ideology and concomitant network, it has strong local determinants, where conflict, oppression and marginalisation play critical roles. Terrorism is combated by the following means: political measures, multilateral efforts, military force, intelligence, law enforcement and socio-economic development assistance. Among the multilateral efforts those directed towards nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction are of particular importance. The report assesses the means in accordance with the degree to which they meet the following objectives: combating terrorist groups, preventing attacks, preventing recruitment and countering supporters of terrorism. The main avenues that can mitigate the threat are reducing the terrorists capabilities, their motivation and the target’s vulnerability. The conclusions point to the prevalence of intelligence and law enforcement, with limited military support, when it comes to short-term measures, but to the primacy of multilateral political campaigns as well as development and security assistance to address long-term causes of terrorism.