When Not Losing Is Winning: Terrorist Organizations and Asymmetrical War

Abstract

Asymmetrical war allows for relatively weak terrorist organizations to engage in armed struggle with much more powerful states knowing that they cannot win a conventional war. Terrorist organizations aim to use the leverage effect of the media to get their message across to millions, and in turn to pressure governments to come to the bargaining table as well as attract new recruits to their groups. This chapter outlines the importance of asymmetrical war, the role of the media, the leverage effect used by terrorist organizations, and the phases in their evolution. We will stress that in asymmetrical war, counter-terrorism strategies aimed at only military capabilities and tactics are bound to be unsuccessful.