ABSTRACT
Counterterrorism policies in the Western world are in dire need of reform. Of course, policies differ greatly from one country to another. As we have explored in previous chapters, some of the key underlying assumptions and characteristics are shared across borders. These include the lack of challenge to policy, as some of the systems put in place have not allowed enough room for constructive criticism, oversight, or suggestions for reform and alternative policy options. In the United States in particular, successive administrations have contributed to building such a considerable counterterrorism apparatus that almost any suggestion that the terrorist threat is exaggerated faces cries of complacency and pushbacks driven by career and budgetary motivations. Any substantial reform would thus take significant time to agree upon and implement.
