Description
Book SynopsisHarrison Akins reveals how the war on terror has led to the unintended consequence of increasing domestic terrorism in U.S. partner states. He examines U.S.-backed counterterrorism operations that targeted al Qaeda in peripheral regions over which central governments held little control.
Trade ReviewA brilliant yet painful reminder of the law of unintended consequences. In
The Terrorism Trap, Harrison Akins uses fascinating case studies supported by indisputable data to argue compellingly that well-intentioned, sometimes heroic efforts to combat terrorism in the world’s ungoverned spaces actually make the problem worse. The threats won’t disappear, so understanding the challenge and finding a way ahead is more important than ever. -- General Stanley McChrystal, CEO and Chairman of McChrystal Group
The Terrorism Trap presents a brilliant and original thesis for U.S. foreign policy. To succeed in its mission, America needs to understand its partner states in Asia and Africa. A top-notch field researcher and high-level political scientist, Harrison Akins presents us with a must-read contribution to the literature. -- Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, American University
Akins addresses the important and little understood interaction between relatively weak postcolonial states and the U.S. military. He demonstrates how attempts to impose military solutions upon the periphery of these relatively weak postcolonial states with American help led to an evolving pattern of escalating domestic terror and counterterror violence. -- David Martin Jones, coauthor of
The Political Impossibility of Modern CounterinsurgencyTable of ContentsNote on Sources
1. The Terrorism Trap
2. What’s in a Name? Al-Qaeda and Its Affiliates
3. The United States and Its Counterterrorism Partners
4. Our Man in Islamabad: Pakistan and the War on Terror
5. The Terrorism Trap in Yemen, Mali, and Egypt
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Appendix: Statistical Analysis
Notes
Bibliography
Index
