re of Terror+

Despite their diversity in motive, sophistication, and strength,
terrorist organizations share a basic structure as depicted in _figure
1_.

At the base, underlying conditions such as poverty, corruption,
religious conflict and ethnic strife create opportunities for
terrorists to exploit. Some of these conditions are real and some
manufactured. Terrorists use these conditions to justify their actions
and expand their support. The belief that terror is a legitimate means
to address such conditions and effect political change is a fundamental
problem enabling terrorism to develop and grow.

The international environment defines the boundaries within which
terrorists' strategies take shape. As a result of freer, more open
borders this environment unwittingly provides access to havens,
capabilities, and other support to terrorists. But access alone is not
enough. Terrorists must have a physical base from which to operate.
Whether through ignorance, inability, or intent, states around the
world still offer havens--both physical (e.g., safe houses, training
grounds) and virtual (e.g., reliable communication and financial
networks)--that terrorists need to plan, organize, train, and conduct
their operations. Once entrenched in a safe operating environment, the
organization can begin to solidify and expand. The terrorist
organization's structure, membership, resources, and security determine
its capabilities and reach. At the top of the structure, the terrorist
leadership provides the overall direction and strategy that links all
these factors and thereby breathes life into a terror campaign. The
leadership becomes the catalyst for terrorist action. The loss of the
leadership can cause many organizations to collapse. Some groups,
however, are more resilient and can promote new leadership should the
original fall or fail. Still others have adopted a more decentralized
organization with largely autonomous cells, making our challenge even
greater.

+The Changing Nature of Terrorism+

While retaining this basic structure, the terrorist challenge has
changed considerably over the past decade and likely will continue to
evolve. Ironically, the particular nature of the terrorist threat we
face today springs in large part from some of our past successes.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the United States and its allies combated
generally secular and nationalist terrorist groups, many of which
depended upon active sta