N A T I O N A L
S T R A T E G Y F O R
C O M B A T I N G
T E R R O R I S M
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 3
N A T I O N A L
S T R A T E G Y F O R
C O M B A T I N G
T E R R O R I S M
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 3
N A T I O N A L
S T R A T E G Y
F O R
C O M B A T I N G
T E R R O R I S M
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N A T I O N A L S T R A T E G Y F O R
C O M B A T I N G T E R R O R I S M
I N T R O D U C T I O N —1
T H E N A T U R E O F T H E
T E R R O R I S T T H R E A T T O D AY —5
The Structure of Terror—6
The Changing Nature of Terrorism—7
A New Global Environment—7
Interconnected Terrorist Organizations—8
Availability of Weapons of Mass Destruction—9
Summary—10
S T R A T E G I C I N T E N T —11
Victory in the War Against Terror—12
G O A L S A N D O B J E C T I V E S —15
Defeat Terrorists and Their Organizations—15
Deny Sponsorship, Support, and Sanctuary to Terrorists—17
Diminish the Underlying Conditions
that Terrorists Seek to Exploit—22
Defend U.S. Citizens and Interests at Home and Abroad—24
C O N C L U S I O N —29
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,
in Washington, D.C., New York City, and
Pennsylvania were acts of war against the
United States of America and its allies, and
against the very idea of civilized society. No
cause justifies terrorism. The world must
respond and fight this evil that is intent on
threatening and destroying our basic free-
doms and our way of life. Freedom and fear
are at war.
The enemy is not one person. It is not a single
political regime. Certainly it is not a religion.
The enemy is terrorism—premeditated, politi-
cally motivated violence perpetrated against
noncombatant targets by subnational groups
or clandestine agents. Those who employ
terrorism, regardless of their specific secular
or religious objectives, strive to subvert the
rule of law and effect change through
violence and fear. These terrorists also share
the misguided belief that killing, kidnap-
ping, extorting, robbing, and wreaking
havoc to terrorize people are legitimate
forms of political action.
The struggle against international terrorism