Foreword, Summer 2011: Weapons of Mass Effect; Strategic Insights; v.10, Issue 2 (September 2011)

Terrorists rely on media coverage of their attacks to deliver their message to a wider audience. They often choose their victims for tactical, strategic, or symbolic reasons, but—just as often—the choice of victim matters less than the psychological impact the attack makes on society. For this reason, terrorist groups have sought the ability to execute spectacular attacks or to innovate new tactics to shock their audiences. When they succeed, they have developed a weapon of mass effect (WME). This issue of Strategic Insights explores the roles WME have played in recent history.