Laws, outlaws, and terrorists : lessons from the War on Terrorism / Gabriella Blum and Philip B. Heymann.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : The war on terrorism : lessons from the past nine years -- The complicated relationship between counterterrorism and legality -- International law, the President, and the war on terrorism -- The role of government lawyers in counterterrorism -- Targeted killing -- Detention outside the combat zone -- Interrogation -- Negotiating with terrorists -- The case for sustained efforts to reduce moral support for terrorism -- Conclusion : After the next attack.

Blum and Heymann argue that the harsh measures employed by the Bush administration were authorized too broadly, resulted in too much harm, and often proved to be counterproductive for security. Blum and Heymann recognize that a severe terrorist attack might justify changing the balance between law and security, but they call for reasoned judgment instead of a wholesale abandonment of American values. They also argue that being open to negotiations and seeking to win the moral support of the communities from which the terrorists emerge are noncoercive strategies that must be included in any future efforts to reduce terrorism."