Rand Corporation Study: ‘There is no battlefield solution to terrorism’
I don’t know how many times we have to tell you people. The idea of fighting terrorism with law enforcement agencies belongs to an outmoded, naive September 10 mentality. People who think that Al Qaeda’s attacks on the USA could have been stopped by the FBI (if the top brass listened to their own field agents) probably got that idea from the 9/11 Commission Report or something.
Nope, law enforcement never works. The way to go is to use overwhelming military force against countries that harbor terrorists (along with millions of innocent civilians who had nothing against the USA until they were attacked). Look at our brilliant successes in Afghanistan and Iraq!
Just to prove it, we commissioned a Rand Corporation study– QED!
“Terrorists should be perceived and described as criminals, not holy warriors, and our analysis suggests there is no battlefield solution to terrorism,” said Seth Jones, the lead author of the study and a Rand political scientist.
Based on an analysis of 648 terrorist groups that existed between 1968 and 2006, the report concluded that a transition to the political process is the most common way such groups end. But the process, found in 43 percent cases examined, is unlikely with al-Qaida, which has a broad, sweeping agenda, the report said.
The second most common way that terrorist groups end, seen in about 40 percent of the cases, is through police and intelligence services apprehending or killing key leaders, Jones said. Police are particularly effective because their permanent presence in cities helps them gather information, he said.
By contrast, the report said, military force was effective in only 7 percent of the cases.
Like I was saying, law enforcement is the most important factor in counterterrorism…
