As recent events illustrate all too graphically, the carefully co-ordinated terrorist act can be extremely effective in doing precisely that – throwing the US off balance.
The threat posed to the US and the west more generally by such acts is asymmetrical. As the US Quadrennial Defense Review noted last year, it can take many forms, including ‘the use of chemical, biological and possibly nuclear weapons; attacks against the information systems… as well as insurgency, terrorism and environmental destruction.’ It forecast, all too presciently that a future adversary might ‘employ asymmetric methods to delay or deny US access to critical facilities; disrupt our command, control, communications and intelligence networks; or inflict higher than expected casualties in an attempt to weaken our national resolve.’
