ASSESSMENTS

How Do Terrorists Measure Success?

Sep 22, 2017 | 09:00 GMT

The 2004 terrorist bombings in Madrid led to Spain's withdrawal from the Iraq War.

Rescue workers search a commuter train on March 11, 2004, after it was devastated by multiple bomb blasts during the morning rush hour in Madrid, Spain.

(Getty Images)

Highlights

  • Terrorist attacks are strategically most significant when they put pressure on fault lines and have a relatively narrow objective.
  • A combination of tactical proficiency in terrorist skills and strategic vision is rare — and extremely dangerous when effective.
  • The role of counterterrorism is not only to stem the damage to human life and property, but also to prevent attacks from upending the political order. 

Like natural disasters, terrorist attacks have the potential to shape human history if they happen at the right time and at the right place. But even then, both are more likely to leave their mark by shaping larger trends than by causing radical shifts by themselves. Unlike natural disasters, the humans who orchestrate terrorist attacks have the ability to choose the time and place and oftentimes to exploit the fault lines that can accelerate trends. ...

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