Exploiting Terrorist Vulnerabilities: A Law Enforcement Approach to Fighting Terrorist Organizations

This monograph explores some of the vulnerabilities that are present within terrorist organizations that the United States can exploit to deter, dismantle, dissuade, and defeat them. The monograph also examines the ways in which terrorist organizations have been defeated in the past so that the United States can incorporate these lessons learned in its counterterrorism strategies. The first section of the monograph provides an overview of Arab culture, the main tenets of Islam, and Jihad history. This section demonstrates that to uncover vulnerabilities within an Islamic terrorist organization, one must understand the belief system upon which the organization was founded. The strategy should not rely solely on conventional military might, but should be based on comprehension, reasoning, and decision making for the 21st century. The next section explores the ways in which other terrorist organizations have been defeated. Three cases studies are presented to demonstrate that conventional military force is not always the correct response to terrorism. A full spectrum of national and international resources, to include law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, legislatures, humanitarian agencies, and other soft powers, in cooperation with limited military engagements, is a better approach to defeating terrorist groups. The monograph closes with three recommendations that the United States should consider to improve its effectiveness in fighting terrorism.