Terrorism, Freedom, and Security: Winning Without War [Hardcover]

Philip B. Heymann (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0262083272 | ISBN-13: 978-0262083270 | Publication Date: August 15, 2003

On September 11, 2001, the United States began to consider the terrorist threat in a new light. Terrorism was no longer something that happened in other countries on other continents but became a pressing domestic concern for the US government and American citizens. The nation suddenly faced a protracted struggle.In Terrorism, Freedom, and Security, Philip Heymann continues the discussion of responses to terrorism that he began in his widely read Terrorism and America. He argues that diplomacy, intelligence, and international law should play a larger role than military action in our counterterrorism policy; instead of waging "war" against terrorism, the United States needs a broader range of policies. Heymann believes that many of the policies adopted since September 11 -- including trials before military tribunals, secret detentions, and the subcontracting of interrogation to countries where torture is routine -- are at odds with American political and legal traditions and create disturbing precedents. Americans should not be expected to accept apparently indefinite infringements on civil liberties and the abandonment of such constitutional principles as separation of powers and the rule of law. Heymann believes that the United States can guard against the continuing threat of terrorism while keeping its traditional democratic values in place.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Former U.S. deputy attorney general Heymann (Terrorism and America), now a professor at Harvard Law School, contends that war is the wrong approach to terrorism, calling instead for a revitalized intelligence apparatus to assess and neutralize threats before they occur. But, he argues, such a system must have firmly established limits to prevent its unwarranted use against American citizens. While supporting the battle against the Taliban, Heymann is less enthusiastic about subsequent policy decisions by the Bush administration, accusing it of ignoring the long-term consequences of actions that run counter to democratic principles and erode America's moral authority in the international community. The legal and political analysis is sound though dry and academic, suited more for policy experts than general readers.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...[A] persuasive argument for the kind of multilateral approach to fighting terrorism for which the Bush administration has shown...disdain." Ethan Bronner The New York Times Book Review

"Heymann's indictment of the Bush administration's political irresponsibility is thus all the more compelling because of its dispassionate, precise articulation." Michael Stern The American Lawyer

" Terrorism, Freedom, and Security presents a powerful argument that not only explains why declaring a "war" on terrorism was unwise but also presents a compelling case for relying on intelligence and law enforcement rather than military force and coercion. Phil Heymann is unequivocal in his defense of democratic values as the core of an effective American national policy for preventing terrorism. His book, grounded in knowledge of American policy as well as the experiences of other countries, is an essential foundation for the public debate we must have about the costs and benefits of alternative strategies for combating terrorism." Martha Crenshaw , Colin and Nancy Campbell Professor of Global Issues and Democratic Thought, Wesleyan University

"Philip B. Heymann may rightly count among the foremost experts on counterterrorism policy in the United States." Mathieu Deflem Law & Politics Book Review

"Philip Heymann has shown again in Terrorism, Freedom, and Security why he is one of the leading thinkers in the world on the subject of terrorism. In this brief but extraordinary book, he has laid out the old and the new, the problems and the pitfalls, the challenges and the opportunities. He has given us a sober and broad set of responses, but clearly pointed out that there are no silver bullets. And most importantly, he has reminded us that we must not forfeit our democratic values in defense of our democracy." Rand Beers , former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Combating Terrorism, National Security Council, 2002-2003

"Philip Heymann's book stands out for its restrained authority and measured judgement." Anthony Dworkin Survival

"The legal and political analysis is sound." Publisher's Weekly

"This book is a judicious and systematic guide to the various policy options at each stage of counterterrorism." Lawrence D. Freedman Foreign Affairs

"Philip Heymann's book stands out for its restrained authority and measuredjudgement." Anthony Dworkin Survival

"This well-researched and well-written book exposesthe hypocrisy and deception that lie behind the reversal of the 'no dual use' nonproliferation policy, a reversal likely to diminish long-term prospects for preventing the spread of nuclear weapons throughout the world." Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA), senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and CoChairof the Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation

"*Terrorism, Freedom and Security* presents a powerful argument that not only explains why declaring a 'war' on terrorism was unwise but also presents a compelling case for relying on intelligence and law enforcement rather than military force and coercion. Phil Heymann is unequivocal in his defense of democratic values as the core of an effective American national policy for preventing terrorism. His book, grounded in knowledge of American policy as well as the experiences of other countries, is an essential foundation for the public debate we must have about the costs and benefits of alternative strategies for combating terrorism."--Martha Crenshaw, Colin and Nancy Campbell Professor of Global Issues and Democratic Thought, Wesleyan University

"Philip Heymann has shown again in *Terrorism, Freedom, and Security* why he is one of the leading thinkers in the world on the subject of terrorism. In this brief but extraordinary book, he has laid out the old and the new, the problems and the pitfalls, the challenges and the opportunities. He has given us a sober and broad set of responses, but clearly pointed out that there are no silver bullets. And most importantly, he has reminded us that we must not forfeit our democratic values in defense of our democracy."--Rand Beers, former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Combating Terrorism, National Security Council, 2002-2003

"In his latest book, Philip Heymann speaks brilliantly to the issues: terrorism is not a temporary threat. As such, we must not allow terrorists to impose their agenda on American political and economic life. Professor Heymann's most compelling characterization of our national security predicament comes in his persuasive explanation that the very solutions we devise to thwart terrorism may, in the end, exacerbate an already volatile world situation."--General Barry R. McCaffrey, USA (Ret), Bradley Professor of International Security, United States Military Academy, former Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control PolicyPlease note: Arrived too late to appear on book jacket.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 228 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (August 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262083272
• ISBN-13: 978-0262083270
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,937,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Use of Decision Theory for Countering Terrorism, September 11, 2004

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This review is from: Terrorism, Freedom, and Security: Winning Without War (Hardcover)

Harvard Law School professor Philip Heymann is a former deputy attorney general of the United States. In this book, he expands upon his earlier work, Terrorism and America, to look at the stark policy choices facing the United States in its efforts to reduce the harm from terrorist activities in the post-September 11, 2001 world.

I decided to read this book after hearing Professor Heymann explain his analysis today. I found the book greatly expanded my understanding of the policy choices facing the United States in its long-term efforts to counter terrorism. I was also shocked to realize that despite spending vast sums in this are the United States has failed to act effectively to counter the most serious threats to our people.

Professor Heymann is a very experienced thinker in the field of terrorism, having taught courses in this area and having worked with terrorism experts from other countries. His approach relies on advanced decision theory tools to spell out the choices and set a framework for a debate on which choices to pursue. As he rightly points out, this debate has yet to begin in the United States even though three years have passed since the infamous terrorist attacks. If we had been this ineffective after Pearl Harbor, civilization as we know it would be vastly different than today.

A number of the perspectives are powerful and revealing. For instance, calling counter terrorism a "war" creates many misconceptions that reduce our options for being effective -- such as assuming the military will play the lead role. It also suggests that we abandon our civil liberties to pursue the temporary emergency -- but this isn't temporary.

I especially liked the diagram that show how actions should be considered in terms of their effectiveness against terrorism, their attractiveness for improving morale, and their cost in terms of personal liberty. From that diagram, it becomes apparent that eliminating civil liberties without considering the benefit is a foolish exercise that only leads to presidential excesses.

There are also a number of intriguing matrices that look at actions and their consequences. From these, you get a sense that it probably makes a great deal of sense to maximize protection of nuclear and biological materials that could be used by terrorists (which is not being done) while it may be counter-productive to try to stop minor terrorist attacks by isolated individuals.

The book also makes the argument that some steps to stop terrorism may simply create more terrorists (such as the alleged abuses of Iraqi prisoners after last year's toppling of Saddam Hussein).

There is also a clear sense that having all governments counter terrorism through mutual cooperation works much better than if the United States decides to do the job unilaterally for itself.

The book's main weakness is that it assumes that terrorists are as rational as decision theory suggests. However, terrorists are often driven by emotion and earlier traumas . . . compounded by misunderstandings. I hope that Professor Heymann will extend his thoughts here to the question of how nations should counter those who are virtually deranged by anger and sadness into bitter, unremitting hatred.

If you want to move beyond being afraid to terrorism to doing something about it, read this book and demand that your representatives in Congress begin dealing with this threat in relevant, practical ways that can be maintained forever into the future.

Otherwise, the victims of terrorism will have died in vain because we continue to fail to learn from our past mistakes.

May God bless and comfort all those who lost loved ones and friends on September 11, 2001!