Constraints on the War against Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

The present century is grappling with some existential threats to human civilization. Some of these threats are the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the prostitution of nuclear know-how, human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, global warming and terrorism. Among these threats, terrorism appears to be the most challenging. Therefore, it is not out of order to argue that terrorism is holding mankind to ransom. Terrorism has become a very topical issue in the world; and its image is made more frightful by its amorphous physiology, its ability to mutate, to generate semantics and epistemological barbarization among authorities who attempt dissection of its being. The problem of achieving a consensus on the nature and being of terrorism is complicated by our dilemma over the most effectual ways to fight this incubus. In this paper, the author aspires to profile the difficulties involved in the war against terrorism in the 21st century.