A System Approach to Deterring and Influencing Terrorists

Counterterrorism efforts in the United States focus largely on a combination of offensive actions against terrorists abroad and defense of the U.S. homeland and U.S. and allied interests worldwide. This paper provides a framework for conceiving another necessary component of the struggle, the influence component. Classic deterrence is but one influence among many. This paper recommends approaching the issue as a “system problem†in which the many different components of terrorist organizations are considered and appropriate influences applied accordingly. The influences discussed range from various forms of coercion to the competition of ideas.