Product Description

The wars against terror have begun, but it will take some time before the nature and composition of these wars is widely understood. The objective of these wars is not the conquest of territory, or the silencing of any particular ideology, but rather to secure the necessary environment for states to operate according to principles of consent and make it impossible for our enemies to impose or induce states of terror. Terror and Consent argues that, like so many states and civilizations in the past that suffered defeat, we are fighting the last war, with weapons and concepts that were useful to us then but have now been superseded. Philip Bobbitt argues that we need to reforge links that previous societies have made between law and strategy; to realize how the evolution of modern states has now produced a globally networked terrorism that will change as fast as we can identify it; to combine humanitarian interests with strategies of intervention; and, above all, to rethink what ‘victory’ in such a war, if it is a war, might look like — no occupied capitals, no treaties, no victory parades, but the preservation, protection and defence of states of consent. This is one of the most challenging and wide-ranging books of any kind about our modern world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #88560 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 688 pages

John Gray
'the most important exploration of the changing relationship between war and terrorism to date'

Tony Blair
'he sets out with clarity and courage the first really comprehensive analysis of the struggle against terror'

Henry Kissinger
'Philip Bobbitt is perhaps the outstanding political philosopher of our time.'

Customer Reviews

Brilliant!
This book is a really interesting look at 21st-century terrorism, from its evolution in history to its current aims and capabilities and to future predictions as to how society will live with terrorism in the future. Central to the argument of the book is the paradigm shift that a globalised and decentralised terrorist network represents to 20th-century thinking over state provision of security to its citizens. Where terrorist networks adopt the tools of a globalised world. The Internet as a tool for the dissemination of propaganda, the recruitment of supporters, and creation of a virtual "ummah" (Muslim brotherhood). The franchise model of market capitalism for the outsourcing of terrorist attacks, motivated by disparate grievances and perpetrated by disparate individuals but united by the "Al Qaeda" brand. The free-market exchange of commodities to pursue weapons of mass destruction (such as that presided over by AQ Khan in his distribution of nuclear secrets on the black market).

There is discussion on the future vulnerabilities from biological attack as biological capability becomes more widely spread. In particular the recent developments in DNA sequencing viruses from scratch in laboratories poses a real danger in the future of pathogen control. With highly contagious and lethal viruses such as smallpox now having the potential to be manufactured by doctorate level chemists able to bypass the top security government biochemical laboratories with DNA sequences readily published online, the traditional state controls on bio weapons are significantly weakened.

There is also a discussion on the evolution of terrorist ideology to justify the targeting of civilians, the challenges for modern intelligence agencies and the impact on society from a significant biological or nuclear attack.

The book is written in an intelligent but highly readable manner, furnished with literally hundreds of footnotes, citations of reports and analysis from experts in the field. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the effect of terrorism on 21st-century politics. It is a fascinating read.