October 19, 2007

The Art of Counter-Terrorism

As Larry Johnson says, we can't afford to pretend that terrorism doesn't exist, but neither can we win a war against it or contain it through superior technology. Terrorism, essentially, is an international police problem that should be managed through traditional law enforcement tools together with a bit of shoe-leather espionage and greater sensitivity to its cultural and political context. If we think we can stomp on the Islamic world until we've eradicated terrorism, we've got another think coming. In the long run, Larry and people like him are the ones who do the most to solve the problem; in the short run I guess we should be grateful that some U.S. government officials still listen to him. Larry's got a fascinating perspective on terrorism and the middle east situation, and he's a most capable and thoughtful guy — it was a real pleasure to talk with him and I hope we can do it again. Total runtime here of an hour and four minutes. Enjoy!