One significant implication of Dr. Sheehan’s counterintuitive findings for the foreign policies of the US, Great Britain, Australia, and other countries involved in the war on terrorism is that “winning” the battle against terrorism requires a comprehensive strategy that captures the complexity of the conflict. While military force may be an essential part of such an approach, it cannot be the only part. By merely serving to exacerbate a complex interplay of interdependent causes and conditions, it too often results in further reinforcing the “law of unintended consequences.”
Using asymmetric war, social mobilization and conflict theory, Dr. Sheehan provides readers and policymakers with sophisticated insights that improve our understanding of the potential consequences of current approaches. He also discusses a range of alternative options. These options are intended as complements rather than replacements to a narrow use of “hard power” that tends to target only symptoms of complex conflicts among ethnic, national, racial, religious, class, and other groups.
To put it simply, Dr. Sheehan’s analysis clearly demonstrates that if we only “fight fire with fire,” then the fire may become worse!
As Americans, British, and others contemplate changes in their respective national leaderships in the near future, they may want to consider a shift from policies rooted in ideology towards policies based on evidence. Dr. Sheehan’s study makes a forceful case for this “paradigm shift,” and for that he deserves our gratitude. This study is a necessary wake-up call that strategic and policy changes are essential if we are to address the problems that give rise to global terrorism in the years ahead.
Dennis J.D. Sandole, Ph.D.
Professor of Conflict Resolution and International Relations
Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR)
George Mason University