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Original Articles
The ‘War on Terrorism’: What Does it Mean to Win?
Abstract
The war on al-Qaeda and its affiliates appears to be endless but every war must end. Winding down the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq has been difficult, but both were embedded in what was then called the ‘war on terrorism.’ What does ‘success’ in that war mean? With the death of bin Laden and the increase in drone operations, how far is the US from achieving it? Can this war end? The article analyzes the ongoing US response to the 9/11 attacks in historical context, revealing four patterns common to all prolonged wars: means become ends, tactics become strategy, boundaries are blurred, and the search for a perfect peace replaces reality. It concludes by laying out an effective strategy for ending the war.
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- Citation information:
- Published online: 29 Nov 2013
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- a George Mason University, Arlington, VA, USA
Author biographies
Audrey Kurth Cronin is Distinguished Service Professor at the School of Public Policy, George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia, USA, and Senior Research Associate at the Changing Character of War Programme, University of Oxford, UK. She is the author of How Terrorism Ends: Understanding the Decline and Demise of Terrorist Campaigns (Princeton: Princeton UP 2009).
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