Terrorism’s Wicked Paradox

Posted: November 19th, 2015

By Carmen Medina

Carmen Medina is a former CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence. A 32-year veteran of the Intelligence Community, she is also the author of Rebels at Work: A Handbook for Leading Change from Within.

Here’s the wicked paradox about terrorism. Long-term responses do nothing about short-term dangers. Short-term reactions feed extremism over the long term.

There are no quick solutions and there may be no “solution” as we think of it. This is quite distressing for Americans in particular, I think. Pick your point in history as to when this dynamic began. This is one of those classic problems in human society for which the passage of time and the change of generations offer the only hope for “solutions.”

Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Terrorism’s Wicked Paradox

By Carmen Medina

What the U.S. Military’s ‘Overwhelming Force’ Means for the Middle East

Russia’s Poltava Attack is a Double Disaster for Ukraine

How Russia’s Military Went From Feared Power to Failing Force

Taliban 3.0: The Terrorism Threat and a Humanitarian Nightmare

Is the Defense Department Ready for an Age of Disruption?

Russia’s Propaganda Army, Pitching a ‘Nightmare Scenario’ For Ukraine