The Rise of Complex Terrorism

Modern societies face a cruel paradox: Fast-paced technological and economic innovations may deliver unrivalled prosperity, but they also render rich nations vulnerable to crippling, unanticipated attacks. By relying on intricate networks and concentrating vital assets in small geographic clusters, advanced Western nations only amplify the destructive power of terrorists -- and the psychological and financial damage they can inflict.

Thomas Homer-Dixon is Director of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program at the University of Toronto, and Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto, where he has led several international research projects examining the links between environmental stress and violence in developing countries. In recent years, his research has focused on how societies adapt to complex economic, ecological, and technological change. His books include, The Ingenuity Gap: Environment, Scarcity, and Violence (Princeton University Press, 1999) and, coedited with Jessica Blitt, Ecoviolence: Links among Environment, Population, and Security (Rowman & Littlefield, 1998).

Participants

• Thomas Homer-Dixon
  Director, Centre for the Study of Peace and Conflict, and Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto


• James Steinberg
  Vice President and Director of Foreign Studies, Brookings Institutionand former Deputy National Security Adviser to the President

Related Links

Thomas Homer-Dixon's webpage