Predators and Parasites: Persistent Agents of Transnational Harm and Great Power Authority

Abstract

Predators and Parasites: Persistent Agents of Transnational Harm and Great Power Authority. By Oded Lowenheim. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2007. 280p. $70.00 cloth, $24.95 paper. At a time when tangible success in the global war on terror seems increasingly elusive, and critics question not only its direct costs (both economic and in human lives) but also the indirect costs of resources diverted from other important concerns, Oded Lowenheim provides a timely explanation of the single-minded U.S. focus on Al Qaeda at the expense of other (and some would argue) equally if not more destructive actors in international society. The author argues that Al Qaeda, and terrorist groups in general, can be viewed as one among many subnational actors he designates as PATHs, “persistent agents of transnational harm,” and as such, they are usefully understood in terms of their impact (perceived or otherwise) on Great Power authority.