The Fight for Legitimacy : Democracy vs. Terrorism
Contents: Preface. Introduction. 1. The Basques in Spain and repercussions in France: Case I. 2. The Kurds in Turkey: case II. 3. The ethnic Albanians in Macedonia: case III. 4. The failure of Russian democratization and the tragedy of Chechnya: case IV. 5. Palestinians, Israelis, and a future Palestinian state: case V. Conclusion. Selected bibliography. Index.
"The basic argument of this book is that liberal democracy is a security imperative in today\'s global security environment. Since terrorist groups change and evolve, the best way for states to win legitimacy vis-a-vis these organizations is by adhering to liberal democratic values, cooperating with other states, and applying prudent counter terrorist tactics. As the United States assesses its homeland defense posture, it must resist any temptation to weaken its liberal democratic values, encouraging other states to adhere to liberal democratic values as well.
The authors argue that terrorism cannot be treated as a monolithic threat, nor addressed merely as a matter of tactics and means with no regard for the ends. In fact, good policy can only be crafted with an understanding of the ways in which terrorists integrate their means to secure their goals. While democratic and transitional governments must take aggressive action to secure their populations against attack, those governments that recognize the real grievances of the terrorists can also take action to addresses those grievances. This two-pronged approach simultaneously bolsters state legitimacy across the ethnic and majority populations, while demonstrating state effectiveness regarding security.
Interstate cooperation, which affects domestic and foreign policies, requires some convergence of political cultures among those cooperating states. This book begins by analyzing five hotspot situations and their regional effects: the Basques in Spain, the ethnic Albanians in Macedonia, the Kurds in Turkey, the Chechens and Russia; and the Palestinians, Israelis, and a future Palestinian State. These cases shed light on the ways in which one can understand, characterize, and categorize terrorism; and they provide insights into the concepts of political legitimacy, liberal democracy, political culture, and political community." (jacket)
