The horror of the events of September 11, 2001, remains indelible. The Great Terror War provides a much-needed examination of the attacks on the World Trade Center linking them to, while distinguishing them from, the breadth of more traditional forms of terrorism that have tormented the world since the Cold War and before. The book differentiates between terror rooted in unresolved conflicts or unfinished national projects (such as the Basque or Kashmiri movements), and the more grandiose apocalyptic underpinnings of the September 11th attacks. The author also identifies what is profoundly new and different about this form of terrorism, namely its global reach and its adoption by hidden, non-state actors relying on the methods of mega-terrorism. Those include the use of weapons of mass destruction, genocidal intent, and suicidal warriors. Falk simultaneously relies upon and criticizes the discourse of the "war on terrorism" as a means of responding to current, and preventing future, terror attacks.
After outlining a comprehensive historical framework, he goes on to provide new insights into the entire range of issues that must be addressed if terrorism is to be eradicated, from the creation and strengthening of international legal tribunals with powerful enforcement capabilities, to the changing of US policies that result in political marginalisation and unimaginable poverty and suffering across the globe, and the application of proportionality and the rule of law to govern all anti-terrorism efforts.
- ISBN10 184437002X
- ISBN13 9781844370023
- Publish Date 6 March 2003
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 30 January 2007
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Arris Books
- Format Paperback
- Pages 232
- Language English