DKI APCSS professor Dr. Sam Mullins has a new article online called “Great Power Competition Versus Counterterrorism: A False Dichotomy” published by justsecurity.org.

In this article, Mullins states than in the “more than two years since the United States officially shifted strategic priorities away from terrorism to focus on great power competition, there is a continued sense of uncertainty as to what exactly this means for counterterrorism. In light of the enduring, and in some cases escalating, terrorist threats across the globe, it is important to get this right.”

He further states that “while recognizing the need to end so-called ‘forever wars’ and reorient the national security apparatus toward far more capable state competitors, others caution against ‘overcorrection.’ An overly hasty or excessive retreat from overseas counterterrorism missions would leave a security vacuum in which terrorist threats could fester and grow, eventually demanding an even greater commitment of resources to deal with down the line.”

How can a balance be struck between these two, competing positions?

Dr. Sam Mullins is a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the official position of the DKI APCSS or the United States government.