STUDIES IN TERRORISM

This course will focus on terrorism and counterterrorism policy, with an emphasis during the class discussion on the role that the intelligence analyst plays in the process. In the first half of the course, we will explore the definitions, history, justifications, and explanations for terrorist activity, focusing on al Qaeda in particular. In the second half of the course, we will examine the policy tools avaiLable to the U.S. national security decision makers to address the terrorist threat and evaluate how well those policy tools were used from 1992 through 2001. We will then focus on 9/11 and its aftermath, evaluating the Bush administration?s war on terror, and assess different recommendations for countering terrorism today and in the future.