Why Terrorism Works: Understanding the Threat, Responding to the Challenge
- Book Review,
by Alan M. Dershowitz
From Publishers Weekly
Against the backdrop of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, the renowned criminal defense and civil liberties attorney argues forcefully that the attacks of September 11 were largely of our own doing the international community, Dershowitz says, repeatedly rewards terrorists with appeasement and legitimization, refusing to take the necessary steps to curtail attacks. While the broad scope of this argument is inadequately supported, as it draws evidence almost exclusively from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Dershowitz, like many others, views September 11 as a turning point and aptly advocates such measures as national identification cards, increased border security, improved coordination among federal agencies and refusal to give an ear to terrorists' demands. More controversially, he devotes a full chapter to the use of torture against terrorists to obtain information about imminent attacks. While eloquently arguing in its favor under very controlled circumstances, this frightening suggestion from a civil libertarian will be seen by many as a great leap backward for democracy and a dangerous precedent for the international community. Even with his proposed "torture warrant," there would inevitably be room for abuse, with lasting detrimental effects on both the victim as well as the U.S. justice system. Despite the "never again" hand-wringing, these penetrating arguments force readers to consider how we got to September 11, how far we are willing to pursue terrorists and how much freedom we are willing to give up for our security. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
You can love him or hate him, but Dershowitz (Harvard Law Sch.) is always worth reading. In this bracing work, he gently upbraids those who chalked up the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington to the supposed "root causes" of terrorism-namely, repression and desperation arising from poverty-while also chiding those he thinks are insufficiently committed to civil liberties. Dershowitz points out that the dispossessed in general "do not resort to the willful targeting of vulnerable civilians." Rather, militants resort to such tactics because the international community, and sometimes even the U.S. government, have rewarded them; terrorism will persist as long as it works. Dershowitz points out the scorched-earth tactics that could be used by authoritarian governments to defeat terrorism: torture, massive retaliation, complete control of citizens' movements. He concludes that nations bound by moral concerns can still respond effectively, reconciling forceful strategy with a regard for civil liberties that would include legal checks on the government use of military trials, wire tapping, and other antiterrorist tactics. Strongly recommended.James R. Holmes, Ph.D. candidate, Fletcher Sch. of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts Univ., Medford, MACopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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