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Terrorism is an easy issue for most people to line up on the same side. We're against it. But how do you deal with terrorism? This is where the split occurs.
Official government responses usually take two forms:
Retaliation satisfies our basic desire for justice. And perhaps the threat of military action deters future attacks. If the punishment is severe, terrorists will think twice.
Restrictions on freedom are endured because of our basic desire for safety. If we expand the powers of law enforcement, they can more easily find and prosecute terrorists. Laws are sometimes enacted to make it easier to detain and search suspects, and obtain wiretaps. Encryption technology is another target. If people are allowed to keep secrets, terrorists will be able to conceal their communications.
Libertarians and other advocates of freedom try to get beyond the base emotional responses. They observe that terrorism is usually a response to some sort of government intervention, like the English occupation of Northern Ireland, the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and the American involvement in the Persian Gulf.
If we want to reduce terrorism, perhaps we should first reduce foreign intervention.
Advocates of freedom also point out that military responses to terrorism can exacerbate the problem. Martyrs can inspire the terrorists, and if there is already public sympathy for the cause, they can engender public support. Perhaps a "War on Terrorism" can never be won.
Of course, libertarians also object to the restrictions on liberty. These restrictions usually amount to "strengthening the state to avoid the unavoidable." Some even agree with Ben Franklin's old adage: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
This Policy Spotlight highlights the ways that pro-freedom intellectuals and activists address terrorism. In the Media Spotlight, News With a Bang, Jerry Tuccille looks at how the mass media and general public seem to be viewing it. ("An eye for an eye, and breathtaking entertainment.")
If you want to join the debate yourself, click over to the Spotlight Discussion Forum.
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Reason editor Jacob Sullum discusses the new regulations on air travel issued in the wake of the TWA Flight 800 incident in the November 1997 Safety That Kills.
In the March 1997 Gonna Fly Now?, Brian Doherty tries to get to the bottom of those regulations. (Do they really exist?)
In the May 1997 Tragic Government, Doherty shows that government reaction to serious incidents only leads to restrictions on our constitutional liberties. He also examines the folly of creating safety through strict regulation in the October 1996 Safety Dance. As he writes, "Fear, rage, and grief make a tough combination to argue against; but in calmer moments people should realize that important decisions oughtn't be made under their thrall."
Adam Clayton Powell III takes a humorous look at restrictions in the July 1995 Fertile Imagination, recommending controls on the distribution and purchase of fertilizer.
Cato's May 5, 1998 Policy Analysis Protecting the Homeland discusses the effect of U.S. intervention on terrorist attacks. Ivan Eland, Cato director of Defense Policy Studies, recommends a policy of military restraint -- only intervening when vital interests are at stake.
Cato co-sponsored a conference in September 1996 with the Frontiers of Freedom Institute on Combating Terrorism, Preserving Freedom. Highlights from the conference include David Kopel's speech Assessing the Terrorist Threat.
Cato's "Handbook for Congress" includes two chapters on terrorism, Reducing the Risk of Terrorism and Terrorism.
Other Cato pieces of interest:
Heartland Institute president Joe Bast discusses the root causes of the Oklahoma City bombing in the May 26, 1995 Heartland Perspective on Libertarians, Conservatives, and the Oklahoma City Bombing.
The Economic Government Group presents Richard Sincere Jr.'s Not All Bombs Are Planted By Terrorists, written two days after the Olympic bombing in Atlanta in 1996. It gives a brief history of terrorism.
Leon T. Hadar's 1992 book "Quagmire: America in the Middle East" discusses why foreign intervention often backfires. It is available from Laissez Faire Books.
In December 2004 this page was modified significantly from its original form for archiving purposes.
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