Combatting International Terrorism

The Role of Congress

Brian Michael Jenkins

Expert InsightsPublished 1977

Coping with terrorism is not a matter of legislation. It is the ability to respond effectively to a new range of threats, and Congress can promote the development of the necessary instruments to combat terrorism. This paper discusses various issues that must be reviewed by Congress: (1) The utility of seeking an international consensus, or depending on a unilateral approach. (2) Effective response to threats of mass destruction. (3) Organizing U.S. antiterrorist military units. (4) Safeguarding nuclear facilities and material. (5) Continuing arms sales while preventing the possibility of man-portable advanced weaponry in the hands of terrorists. (6) The ability of the U.S. government to assist U.S. corporations abroad. (7) Dealing with U.S. domestic extremist groups that may create international incidents. (8) Forming a specific government entity to deal with terrorism. (9) Gathering intelligence on terrorist activities in the post-Vietnam, post-Watergate era.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1977
  • Pages: 18
  • Document Number: P-5808

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Jenkins, Brian Michael, Combatting International Terrorism: The Role of Congress. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1977. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5808.html.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.