This course will take an in-depth look at counterterrorism in China, Colombia, India, Israel, Russia, Spain, and the United States. The course will examine competing conceptions and definitions of terrorism at the national and international level and the institutions and processes relevant to operational counterterrorism.
This course will include the study of the balance between national security interests and civil liberties found in the following topical areas: relevant Supreme Court decisions in the surveyed nations, legislative provisions in response to acts of terrorism, operational counter-terrorism considerations (including targeted killing), intelligence gathering (including interrogations), policy recommendations, the use of military tribunals or civil courts in trying suspected terrorists, the emerging law regarding enemy combatants and their detention, and the arguable need for new self- defense doctrines at the global level.