Illuminating the Dark Arts of War: Terrorism, Sabotage, and Subversion in Homeland Security and the New Conflict

Description

Since 9/11, the dominant view is that we have entered an era of 'new conflict' in which technology has empowered non-state actors who now pose unprecedented and unmanageable threats to U.S. national security. This unique work studies a range of threats, from homegrown and foreign terrorism to the possibility of cyber- or Chinese sabotage and fears of religious subversion to challenge every aspects of this 'new conflict' argument and expose its underlying exaggerations and misunderstandings. Examining such issues as political violence, the role of religion in terrorism, the impact of technology, and the political aspects of homeland security, this unique survey demonstrates how such activities as terrorism are limited by their clandestine nature. It also addresses why we need to switch our strategic focus and increase the role citizens have in dealing with such threats. This historically informed and critical analysis fills a void in the debates on the threats and conflicts that the U.S. confronts at home and abroad and will appeal to anyone interested in national security and terrorism.

David Tucker is Associate Professor of Defense Analysis and Co-Director of the Center on Terrorism and Irregular Warfare at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, USA. He has served in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict as the Deputy Director for Special Operations and as a Foreign Service Officer in Africa and Europe. He is the author of many books and articles.

"This is an important book for both students and practitioners of national security. In his analysis of a range of threats to the modern state, Tucker demonstrates that these threats are not new and that our collective security is best served by each individual's continued adherence to and defence of those core values that define western liberal democracy." --Richard Thompson, Counter Terrorism expert, UK "For three decades, David Tucker's work has been unfailingly intriguing and challenging to the conventional wisdoms. His new account of sabotage and its dangers to the U.S. will fascinate." - Chris Harmon, MajGen Matthew C. Horner Chair of Military Theory, Marine Corps Research Center "This is a refreshingly level-headed and astute assessment of the American experience with threats from non-state actors as they take the form of terrorism, sabotage, and subversion. David Tucker places these supposedly "new" threats to American homeland security in a broad historical perspective and persuasively argues that states still have the upper hand. The author is to be commended for clarity of thinking, extensive research, and willingness to challenge conventional wisdom." -Martha Crenshaw Senior Fellow Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University