Counter-Insurgency in Global Perspective - An Introduction: Politicians Need to Understand Insurgency

摘要

When Gordon Brown addressed RUSI on 13 February 2006 on the threat to homeland security his message largely concerned the practicalities of counter-terrorism.1 Although he did mention the need to tackle 'not just terrorism but the roots of terrorism' he dwelt on counter measures: the interdiction of terrorist financing, reinforced border controls, more rigorous screening of passengers entering the UK, the introduction of ID cards, more police powers and a clampdown on the glorification of terror. Meanwhile, despite the uniformity of the Bush-Blair approach to their rather different problems of homeland security, the West has been inexorably turning from terrorism to insurgency as a way of explaining the post 9/11 security era.