‘Does Counter-Terrorism Work?’ by Richard English

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Does Counter-Terrorism Work by Richard English

Does counter-terrorism work? Richard English examines counter-terrorism strategically and tactically and focuses on three cases: Israel, Ulster and 9/11. He completed the Israel chapter before October 7, but Gaza was already on his mind and the components of the current catastrophe were in place. Strategically, Israel (with U.S. prodding) has tried negotiation, but some Israeli leaders did so with mental reservations. On the other side, militants such as Hamas refused negotiation and the moderate PLO lost their people’s support through corruption and failure to achieve an independent state. Tactically, Israel thwarted many terrorist attacks but in failing to eliminate terrorism, a block of Israeli voters became convinced that negotiation was senseless. The situation reached an impasse.

English is director of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s University Belfast, site of his book’s greatest success story. Britain’s war with the Provisional Irish Republican Army was finally resolved strategically, through a political arrangement negotiated with U.S. prodding—but this came only after Britain lessened its heavy-handed military response and hobbled the IRA’s campaign through a network of informers and electronic surveillance. 

As for the U.S. post 9/11, the overreaching War on Terror defeated (but didn’t eliminate) al-Qaeda, the occupation of Afghanistan ended in failure and the needless occupation of Iraq only gave rise to ISIS and more terrorism. And despite 9/11, historically, most terrorism in the U.S. has been domestic and marches, as on January 6, from the right.

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