Download or read book Building States While Fighting Terror written by Peter J. Quaranto and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report suggests that US policy in Somalia since 2001 represents many strong trends in US security thinking. For instance, there has been a revived emphasis on state stability and, conversely, a problematisation of state weakness as a threat. US officials have focused on 'failed states', such as Somalia, as havens and recruiting grounds for terrorists. Correspondingly, state building has been declared a key tactic of counter-terrorism. US officials have argued that the best long-term defence against terrorism is the existence of functional central governments, especially those willing to cooperate with Washington. Therefore, the US State Department recently stated that the two pillars of state building and counter-terrorism drive US policy in Somalia (McCormack 2006). The purpose of this report is to consider the interaction of those pillars in policymaking and, especially, their application at the scene of action.