Dealing with the Modern Terrorist: The Need for Changes in Strategies and Tactics in the New War on Terrorism
As the new millennium has arrived, so has the appearance of a new breed of terrorist, highly sophisticated in technological skills, sometimes motivated by political and/or religious beliefs and sometimes motivated by the monetary incentive to sell his services as a mercenary. This type of terrorist made an appearance in the United States during the Y2K crisis and, under its cover, appeared and then disappeared creating further terror by now hiding in the shadows. Using the Italian Red Brigades as a case study, this article examines how the rules of the game of dealing with terrorists has been crucially altered by this new breed and discusses how these rules will present new problems that in turn will necessitate the consideration of serious changes in the tactics and strategies employed by law enforcement agencies and governments as they carry their fight against terrorism into the future.