Columns:: Worth repeating

since 12/15/98

Columns::October 7, 2002

Worth repeating

Seth Carus, senior research professor in the Center for Counterproliferation Research at the National Defense University, delivered the D.W. Brooks Lecture Oct. 1. He discussed “Bioterrorism, Homeland Security and the Food Supply.” Some excerpts:
“Bioterrorism is a relatively new word and there isn’t any really commonly accepted definition. I have tended to define bioterrorism in a fairly broad way, which is the threat or the use of biological agents, pathogens or toxins, by individuals or groups motivated by political, religious, ecological or other ideological objectives. . . .
“Most commonly accepted definitions of terrorism, including those that determine most, if not all, U.S. government laws, declare it as the use of violence to intimidate governments. . . . In today’s context, traditional definitions of terrorism--traditional views of what terrorism is all about--can be dangerously misleading. . . .”
“In the past most terrorists used violence to achieve discrete political ends. For this reason they carefully calibrated their use of violence. They wanted to shock the enemy but were careful not to undermine or antagonize neutral observers. Nor did they want to provoke legitimate government responses--often in fact they hoped to provoke overreactions. . . . In contrast, for the new terrorists, violence may remain a tool but the ultimate objective is far different. They’re not interested in forcing changes in government policies. . . . Rather, they want to destroy our society.”

--Beth Roberts

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