The role of the military in counterterrorism: unintended consequences

Abstract

In the last decade, terrorism has been one of the top threats for many countries. During this period, military organizations in many of these countries have been utilized as a counterterrorist instrument. Leading countries in the current war on terror, namely the U.S. and the UK, have used their armies, with all of their high-tech weapon systems, against nonstate threats armed with AK-47s and RPGs. Yet in spite of these efforts, a military victory against terrorism seems elusive. In many of these countries, the use of the military created unintended consequences that led to new problems, which have attracted the attention of academia and policymakers. The goal of this thesis is to explore these problems caused by the use of the military in a counterterrorism role.