Disruptive Military Innovation and the War on Terror: Some Thoughts for Perfect Opponents

An overview of contemporary terrorism and the question how terrorists have developed methods to exploit the vulnerabilities of liberal democracies is given. These vulnerabilities include the impatience of political leaders relative to the sluggishness, even inertia, of modern bureacracies, the practices of the media, and a failure of governments and their agencies to capitalize on the capabilities of new information technologies. By addressing critical questions for countering terrorism, suggestions for public discussion on a counter-terror strategy are outlined.