The Terrorism Trap

Akins addresses the important and little understood interaction between relatively weak postcolonial states and the US military. He demonstrates how attempts to impose military solutions upon the periphery of these relatively weak postcolonial states with American help, led to an evolving pattern of escalating domestic terror and counter-terror violence. -- David Martin Jones, co-author of <i>The Political Impossibility of Modern Counter-Insurgency</i> The Terrorism Trap presents a brilliant and original thesis for American foreign policy. To succeed in its mission, America needs to understand its partner states in Asia and Africa. A top-notch field researcher and high-level political scientist, the author presents us a must-read contribution to the literature. It should be on the reading list of the Secretary of State. -- Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, American University A brilliant, yet painful, reminder of the Law of Unintended Consequences. In The Terrorism Trap, Harrison Akins uses fascinating case studies supported by indisputable data to argue compellingly that well-intentioned, sometimes heroic, efforts to combat terrorism in the world's ungoverned spaces actually make the problem worse. The threats won't disappear, so understanding the challenge and finding a way ahead is more important than ever. -- General Stanley McChrystal, CEO and Chairman of McChrystal Group