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ISBN 1-58487-146-6
FOREWORD
The United States is now in the third year of the global war on terrorism.
That war began as a fight against the organization that perpetrated the
heinous attacks of September 11, 2001, but soon became a much more
ambitious enterprise, encompassing, among other things, an invasion and
occupation of Iraq. As part of the war on terrorism, the United States has
committed not only to ridding the world of terrorism as a means of
violence but also to transforming Iraq into a prosperous democratic beacon
for the rest of the autocratically ruled and economically stagnant Middle
East to follow.
Dr. Jeffrey Record examines three features of the war on terrorism as
currently defined and conducted: (1) the administration’s postulation of
the terrorist threat, (2) the scope and feasibility of U.S. war aims, and
(3) the war’s political, fiscal, and military sustainability. He finds
that the war on terrorism-as opposed to the campaign against
al-Qaeda-lacks strategic clarity, embraces unrealistic objectives, and may
not be sustainable over the long haul. He calls for down-sizing the scope
of the war on terrorism to reflect concrete U.S. security interests and
the limits of American military power.
The Strategic Studies Institute is pleased to offer this monograph as a
contribution to the national security debate over the aims and course of
the war on terrorism.
DOUGLAS C. LOVELACE, JR.
Director
Strategic Studies Institute
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