Jedburgh
06-20-2007, 02:07 PM
2007 National Security Strategy Essay Contest (http://www.ctc.usma.edu/CTC-NSS-Essay-Contest-2007.pdf)
Sponsored by the Army-G3 and the Combating Terrorism Center
Traditional theories of international security argue that deterrence will only succeed if one actor credibly threatens future harm `against something another actor values. When that threat of harm is made against something or someone that an actor does not value, or if that actor is not rational, deterrence invariably fails.
To date, America’s attempts to deter would-be terrorists have relied on the credible threat of imprisonment or death. But given that the United States continues to be targeted by violent extremists six years after the attacks of September 11th, it seems increasingly clear that adherents of al-Qa`ida and like-minded groups do not value self-preservation in the way in which the United States had anticipated.
To the contrary, members of al-Qa`ida have sought to clarify the fact that adherents of their ideology are motivated not by the prospect of continued life on Earth but by the promise of life in the hereafter. This rationality nullifies the effectiveness of a deterrence strategy based on the threat of being captured or killed.
The Army G-3 and the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point are sponsoring the 2007 National Security Strategy Essay Contest in order to solicit new ways of thinking about deterrence in today’s post-9/11 world. We invite submissions of article-length (7,500 – 10,000 words), publication-quality essays addressing the following question:
How can the U.S. credibly and ethically deter adherents of extremist religious ideologies from engaging in terrorist activity?
Essays will be judged on scholarly rigor, creativity and innovation. Authors are encouraged to be interdisciplinary in their thinking. The author of the essay judged by the CTC Faculty and Senior Fellows to be the best will receive a $5,000 research grant.
Entries should be postmarked no later than 1 September 2007 and mailed in hard-copy format with a copy of the author’s curriculum vitae to:
Combating Terrorism Center
National Security Strategy Essay Contest
Lincoln Hall
United States Military Academy
West Point, NY 10996
Sponsored by the Army-G3 and the Combating Terrorism Center
Traditional theories of international security argue that deterrence will only succeed if one actor credibly threatens future harm `against something another actor values. When that threat of harm is made against something or someone that an actor does not value, or if that actor is not rational, deterrence invariably fails.
To date, America’s attempts to deter would-be terrorists have relied on the credible threat of imprisonment or death. But given that the United States continues to be targeted by violent extremists six years after the attacks of September 11th, it seems increasingly clear that adherents of al-Qa`ida and like-minded groups do not value self-preservation in the way in which the United States had anticipated.
To the contrary, members of al-Qa`ida have sought to clarify the fact that adherents of their ideology are motivated not by the prospect of continued life on Earth but by the promise of life in the hereafter. This rationality nullifies the effectiveness of a deterrence strategy based on the threat of being captured or killed.
The Army G-3 and the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point are sponsoring the 2007 National Security Strategy Essay Contest in order to solicit new ways of thinking about deterrence in today’s post-9/11 world. We invite submissions of article-length (7,500 – 10,000 words), publication-quality essays addressing the following question:
How can the U.S. credibly and ethically deter adherents of extremist religious ideologies from engaging in terrorist activity?
Essays will be judged on scholarly rigor, creativity and innovation. Authors are encouraged to be interdisciplinary in their thinking. The author of the essay judged by the CTC Faculty and Senior Fellows to be the best will receive a $5,000 research grant.
Entries should be postmarked no later than 1 September 2007 and mailed in hard-copy format with a copy of the author’s curriculum vitae to:
Combating Terrorism Center
National Security Strategy Essay Contest
Lincoln Hall
United States Military Academy
West Point, NY 10996