Peer responses to an essay on terrorism and counterterrorism

Diana, your writing is well organized and thoughtful and offers many key insights on the challenges of tracking terrorism. Your comments on the internet and the importance that this may have in the ability to track terrorists and terrorism is insightful. Unfortunately I am not convinced of the dangers of terrorism as they apply in your essay. Your treatment of the subject, is very mainstream and does not offer much in the way of knowledge. To me, terrorism is something that needs to be embraced more as the need for society to confront their fears instead of hiding behind massive weapons and a myriad of unintelligible laws and regulations, distorts the real purposes of government and civic duty.

James

James I certainly appreciate your comments on terrorism and the best way to combat the idea. I do decidedly disagree with some of your premises however as I do not think, as you say, that determining who the terrorists is of great importance. Your simple approach is mostly useful in this case, but you tend to ignore the deceptive nature of warfare and that most terrorists are patsy-like figures used by a more powerful force. In dealing with terrorists it is important to ask the question "who benefits?" In order to best understand who or why a group would conduct acts of violence on innocent people.

Brad

Brad I agree with much that you have written but I find it impossible to quantify the ideas that you presented as a means to understand terrorism. While the qualities of the means and focus of destruction are useful in understanding the whole picture, it is impossible to put any real limits on motivations. While dollar amounts and death tolls are possibly useful in determining some of these factors, the larger aspects of the ideas are missing. Perl ( 2007) explained how measurements are more like an art than a science and that any matrix or rubric designed to assist must incorporate a holistic approach to the activity.

David

I appreciate your comments and thank you for pointing out some faulty logic in my argument. To help refine my stance I would suggest that tracking terrorists by means of gun registries and solitude are tools of a psychological warfare, extremely important in keeping the population obedient and honest. It is more important that people believe they are being tracked even though it is quite impossible and a fool's errand to actually accomplish such a task. The government is in a very weak and compromised situation when it comes to terrorism, so lying and deception are options that must be taken by law enforcement agencies and government workers in order for peace and stability to reign.

Peter

Peter, your rush to judgment is indicative of many of the problems of terrorism. By suggesting that the Malaysian plane that disappeared happened due to terrorism without any real evidence, makes you look hungry for war as a trigger-happy sycophant ready to pounce on the first sign of trouble. Take it easy Peter, it is my understanding that the human condition is hard wired for peace and cooperation, not violence. Patience and faith need to better incorporated within the discussion of terrorism if any real solutions are to be discovered.

Kimberly

Thanks for sharing the information on Greece as it was very informative and helped brings some much needed perspective into the argument. Greece and Hellenic philosophy play large roles in the western world today, and to look upon this country today as a possible hotbed of terrorism reveals that the world is always changing and evolving. The Mediterrian coasts have always been front and center in the western world's historical unfoldment and it appears that Greece is part of this problem. I do disagree that the U.S. should stand by Greece in its time of need, due to the fact that the U.S. has its own problems and cannot afford to waste precious resources on other countries.

Diana

Diana your discussion about Africa and terrorism is important and helped put the ideas into context. I disagree with some of your points as I believe Africa has always been a very troublesome spot. Africa is a continent rich in natural resources, but devoid of any real lasting contribution. Africa is violent place that would benefit greatly from ignoring western countries' interests in their problems. It appears that many of the natives of this area are intellectually incapable of solving their own problems and must resort to people of European descent to help them. This is a bad idea for both groups as we all need to worry about our own environment and have faith that others can take care of themselves. Let the Africans save themselves.