Hoffman V.S Sageman - Admission/Application Essay Example

Hoffman VS. Sageman With increasing threats from terrorist factions targeting the United s and their western allies, there has been a debate among jihadists concerning the future tactics against the enemy. The debate is also becoming increasingly important among terrorist researchers, Hoffman and Sageman. This contest is evident from their books Inside Terrorism and Understanding Terror Network. This essay explores various differences between the two authors concerning their approach on terrorism.

The main difference between the two authors concerns their views on terrorism and, it is based on potentials of different terrorist organizations across the globe. The existence of al-Qaida and its significance on terrorism is their first dispute (Hoffman, 2006). Hoffman believes that al-Qaida is still active although it has changed its operation tactics. On the other hand, Sageman argues that terrorist groups have started fighting amongst themselves and hence they are not a threat to the US and its western allies.

The September 11 terrorist attack on the US is the second source of misunderstanding between the two authors. Segeman argues that antiterrorism measures currently being undertaken by the US government are ineffective. This is because the war in Afghanistan is not likely to end with a victory for the US. On the other hand, Hoffman considers antiterrorism policies enacted by the government to have long-term benefits.In the book Hoffman seems to underestimate the potentials of al-Qaida because the radical Islamic group lacks a centralized leadership.

Sageman totally disagrees with this hypothesis and goes on to state that al-Qaida inspires jihadist and it does not require controlling their operations. Sageman model is the most useful to the US and its allies. His model demonstrates the need for the government to change its views and tactics against terrorist factions due to their highly dynamic nature.ReferenceHoffman, B. (2006). Inside Terrorism (Revised and Expanded Edition). Columbia: Columbia University Press.