ABSTRACT
Conventional wisdom holds that terrorists and terrorism cannot be deterred: terrorists do not fear punishment or death, nor do they possess the territory and population of a state, and they are therefore immune from psychological coercion via threat of retaliation. We argue, however, that deterrence-specifically psychological coercion through denial as opposed to traditional deterrence by punishment-can not only be applied to terrorism, but also can be utilized at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels for an overall coercive effect. In developing this application, the chapter presents terrorism as a dynamic process described by interrelated essential elements and communication flows. It then presents concepts of deterrence as these enter into this dynamic process and disrupt its elements and linkages, thus shaping coercive influences, removing terrorist options, and forcing decisions that alter terrorist plans and actions.
