The Ultimate Terrorists

Ultimate Terrorists by Jessica Stern

Since September 11, 2001, Stern's book The Ultimate Terrorists has taken on a deeper meaning. Written in 1999, when America held onto the idea that terrorist activity was something that took place on foreign shores, Stern's book details in advance many of the factors in play which created the 9-11 tragedy. Terrorists have shifted their perspective from activity which gains power for their political or religious party to choosing targets just for the purpose of 'making a statement.' Again, 9-11 was a vivid example of the meaninglessness of their fanatical approach. While buildings, lives, and economic power were lost, the resulting "War on Terror" has all but destroyed their ability to further their plans.

Nonetheless, The Ultimate Terrorists is a timely book on a vitally important subject. Jessica Stern, former National Security Council staffer, explains with chilling lucidity why it is becoming more likely that those threats will materialize into a major terrorist incident featuring a weapon of mass destruction (WMD). She has done a thorough job of research and presents her arguments with clarity and force. This book, combined with the new reality of a post 9-11 world, should be a wake up call for Americans.

The Ultimate Terrorists lays out three main points. First, the threat of chemical, biological and nuclear terrorism is indeed significant, and the emergence of nontraditional terrorist groups -- religious fanatics, death cults and disturbed activists -- adds a shiver of uncertainty to the mix. These groups do not have the social conscience which their predecessors possessed. They think nothing of destroying as many lives as possible for no other purpose than spreading terror and chaos.

Second, Stern discusses those more fitting defense efforts, such as assisting in the disposal of the Russian nuclear arsenal, and identifying the whereabouts of any "loose nukes." Stern was one of the first to call for beefing up weapons detection efforts at airports, and preparing emergency services health responses for the possibility of a WMD attack. She insisted that working on these areas by which the country is most vulnerable to attack, the country would bolster both U.S. And international security efforts. Since the end of the cold war, Stern writes that "ballistic missiles are the least likely method of delivery," Stern writes, "and yet Congress regularly allocates more money to ballistic-missile defense than the Pentagon says it can use -- roughly ten times what is spent to prevent WMD terrorism."

Finally, Stern discusses how the threat of WMD terrorism, real as it is, has been exaggerated to the point of needless panic. In her examination of non-traditional terrorism, Stern points to a practical divide between will and ability. State-sponsored terrorists can do the most damage, but they're constrained by fear of retribution and of bad publicity. Fringe groups, on the other hand, may have the will to destroy, but they lack the money or the sponsorship to cause much damage. Therefore, one of the most important tasks for improving the security of our country is identifying any connections between the fringe groups, with the will, and the state sponsor who possess the money.

For example, how do we classify, or identify religious fanatics who are also state-sponsored political groups? Where do we put Japan's Aum Shinrikyo, a fringe cult that attracted massive funding and international membership (and whose Tokyo subway gas attack apparently represented a mere fraction of the hell it might have raised)? Stern considers Aum Shinrikyo an unusual case, which it certainly seems to be; but the group's success challenges her distinction between traditional and nontraditional terrorism.

The book's strongest chapter concerns the threat of loose Russian materials (the area that was Stern's specialty at the NSC). Stern's knowledge of security in Russia gives these sections a punch that many who report on this issue have lacked up until now. Stern was portrayed by Nichol Kidman in the movie Peacemakers which was built on this theme. The turning point of the movie is a discussion between a military Russian specialist, who knew the military character who would steal a dozen nuclear warheads and Kidman's character who is a specialist on fringe terrorist groups. Kidman's character, after getting a lecture on how predictable a military terrorist would be, says "I'm not afraid of a man who wants 10 nuclear weapons; I am terrified of the man who wants only one. This man is about rage, hatred, and he doesn't give a - about power." This person is the terrorist on which Stern focuses her book. With depth, clarity and details which engage the reader rather than talk down to them, Stern's experience enables her to write this compelling book.

Stern researches and describes the problem of international terrorism at the turn of the new century. She recommends a national strategy for dealing with the problem. She examines the technology and materials that would be required to conduct an act of terrorism in the United States and highlights the growing ease with which modern technology puts destructive power within the reach of smaller and smaller groups of individuals devoted to terror. Stern also provides a strategy for deterrence that gives the Justice Department and the FBI greater leeway in initiating investigations of and infiltrating potential terrorist groups and prohibiting the dissemination of unclassified bomb-making information. In supporting such latitude, she recognizes that the cure might be worse than the disease but argues effectively that if Washington does not prepare in advance for a terrorist attack, then it is more likely to take actions that revoke civil liberties in the wake of one. Her perspective is current, and provides a 360 degree evaluation of terrorism.