Are Fearmongers Terrorists? Mike Rappaport

Cass Sunstein writes an interesting review in the New Republic of two books that claim that the terrorist threat has been overplayed for political purposes.  The books are Overblown: How Politicians and the Terrorism Industry Inflate National Security Threats, and Why We Believe Them, by John Mueller, and What’s Wrong With Terrorism, by Robert E. Goodin. Unfortunately, the review appears to be only available to subscribers.  Here is an excerpt:

Goodin believes that publicwarnings about terrorism might themselves be terroristic. . . . But the more fundamental problem with Goodin’s argument lieselsewhere. If Bush could be counted as a “terrorist” on the prevailingunderstanding of that term, then we had better rethink thatunderstanding of the term, and start making some distinctions. Ofcourse we should count as terrorists those who help to plant bombs withthe goal of producing political change. Perhaps we can agree that thosewho approve of the goals of terrorists, and offer warnings in order toachieve those very goals, are in a sense terrorists too. But words havepurposes, and for any reasonable purpose it is important to distinguishbetween terrorists and public officials who warn or scare people inpart to achieve their own political goals. Lyndon Johnson did notengage in terrorism when he ran his famous advertisement warning of therisks of nuclear war if Barry Goldwater were to be elected president.Nor should we accuse Democratic candidates of being terrorists whenthey attempt to gain political advantage by frightening people intothinking that if Republicans get their way, the Iraq war will beprolonged indefinitely or they will lose Social Security or health carebenefits (and maybe die prematurely). Unfortunately, there is noprecise English word for candidates and officials who inculcate fearfor their own ends, but “fearmongers” comes pretty close. We produceconfusion, not understanding, when we subsume both members of Al Qaedaand fearmongers under the general rubric of “terrorists.”

Sunstein also questions the claim of the books that the terrorist threat has been overestimated.