Gottlieb (policy studies, Macmillan Center for International and Area Studies, Yale U.) presents point-counterpoint essays debating contentious issues of terrorism and counterterrorism relevant to the US so-called "war on terror." Each of the following topics is addressed with opposed viewpoints: the "newness" of al-Qaeda's type of terrorism, poverty as a causal factor in terrorism, the justifiability of terrorism, the role of Islam in modern religious terrorism, the effectiveness of suicide terrorism, the threat of nuclear terrorism, military versus civil reconstruction approaches to counterterrorism, the role of democracy promotion in counterterrorism strategy, the role of the United Nations in fighting terrorism, the use of torture in counterterrorism strategy, the expansion of executive power and the constraining of civil liberties in pursuing the fight against terrorism, and the actual level of threat posed by terrorism to the United States. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less