Terrorism Reached a New Low

terrorism reached a new low the morning of September 11, 2001 when perpetrators used three hijacked commercial jets as weapons of mass destruction. Yet terrorists had been plotting against the United States and its allies long before that date and continue to plague freedom-loving citizens of the world. What the events of September 11 marked was the beginning of a new war on terror, a new definition of warfare that would rely less on traditional battlefronts and more and more on technology and advanced intelligence-gathering. The terrorist attacks of September 11 also brought to attention the severity of the threat that fundamentalist Islam had been posing for decades. Until September 11, 2001 that threat had been underestimated or at least it had been in the mainstream media. The new terrorism is characterized by increased sophistication, mainly in terms of technology and communications.

Bin Laden's appeal among conservative Muslims is extensive, giving rise to a grassroots movement that foments and fuels the terrorist movement. Alive or dead, Bin Laden is a powerful symbol and provides a figurehead around which sympathizers can gather. The massive following charismatic leaders command remains one of the most frightful aspects of terrorism, which might be the greatest problem Americans will face at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

The methods and modes of communications terrorists use range from the conventional to the creative including the Internet and the media. Not only do terrorists rely on internal networks and coded communications but also on a reliable means to disseminate a core message of hatred to a large number of existing and potential new followers. The new terrorism would not exist were it not for the wide range of telecommunications available. Technology has changed the ways terrorists operate, conduct their business, network, and generate public support.

Technology also provides the primary tool for committing acts of terror like the destruction of the World Trade Center. By networking with a geographically fragmented group of people using cellular phones and other standard devices, leaders of terrorist groups can communicate easily. Being able to hijack planes required some knowledge of aviation, which was gleaned by attending traditional flight schools in the United States. Although some of the methods used by the Al Qaeda group on September 11 seemed primitive such as carrying box cutters onto the planes and using them as weapons, overall the methods used to carry out the attack were admirably sophisticated. For example, the effort was well-organized and required systematic communications between participants. Moreover, the participants needed to keep track of flight information and other pertinent data that would assist them in carrying out the attacks. Every step of the process was premeditated, indicating a great deal of research.

However genius terrorist organizations might seem, the United States and its allies has at its command an even more sophisticated and comprehensive body of technological tools that can be harnessed toward the counterterrorism effort. Counterterorrism has become, especially since September 11, one of the hallmarks of the American intelligence system. Learning how to stay one or several steps ahead of those who would attack the United States is one of the primary jobs of counterterrorism units. Using technology to their advantage, counterterrorism units in United States government agencies can thwart planned attacks and minimize damage from any that happen to take place at home or overseas.

The new terrorism is, however, characterized by its lack of clear centralized power. Combating a faceless, subversive, sneaky enemy means mobilizing as many resources as possible. Technology is only one part of the counterterrorism process, which relies on its human resources as much as on its digital ones. Counterterrorism, like the enemies it seeks to subvert, relies on the media to craft messages and create propaganda that would best serve its purposes. Communications and communications-related technologies are central in the battle against the new terrorism.