Untangling the Terror Web: Identifying and Counteracting the Phenomenon of Crossover between Terrorist Groups

Counterterrorism should be seen not as an effort to rid the world of terrorism, but as an ongoing struggle to constrict the operating environment in which terrorists raise funds, procure documents, engage in support activities, and conduct attacks. One of the most effective ways to constrict the operating environment and crack down on terrorist financing is to target the network of interlocking logistical support groups. Many of these groups are not particular to a single terrorist organization. In fact, militant Islamist organizations from al Qaeda to Hamas interact and support one another in an international matrix of logistical, financial, and sometimes operational terrorist activity. This matrix of relationships is what makes the threat of international terrorism so dangerous. Prosecuting the war on terror, whether on the battlefield or in the courtroom, demands greater attention to the web of interaction among these various groups and state sponsors. Indeed, as this paper suggests, concerted action against terrorist financing is one of the best ways to advance not only the war on terror, but other national security priorities such as pursuing the Roadmap to Israeli-Palestinian peace, and the stabilization of Iraq.