Anti-terrorism versus counter-terrorism

The concept of anti-terrorism emerges from a thorough examining of the concept of terrorism as well as an attempt to understand and articulate what constitutes terrorism in Western terms. In military contexts, terrorism is a tactic, not an ideology. Terrorism may be a tactic in a war between nation-states, in a civil war, or in an insurgency.

Counter-terrorism refers to offensive strategies intended to prevent a belligerent, in a broader conflict, from successfully using the tactic of terrorism. The US military definition, compatible with the definitions used by NATO and many other militaries, is "Operations that include the offensive measures taken to prevent, deter, preempt, and respond to terrorism." In other words, counter-terrorism is a set of techniques for denying an opponent the use of terrorism-based tactics, just as counter-air is a set of techniques for denying the opponent the use of attack aircraft.

Anti-terrorism is defensive, intended to reduce the chance of an attack using terrorist tactics at specific points, or to reduce the vulnerability of possible targets to such tactics. "Defensive measures used to reduce the vulnerability of individuals and property to terrorist acts, to include limited response and containment by local military and civilian forces."

Contraterrorismo

El Contraterrorismo se refiere a las prácticas, tácticas, y estrategias de gobiernos, ejércitos y otros grupos especializados a adoptar medidas contra el terrorismo. El contraterrorismo no es específico a ningún area u organización y sí implica a entidades de todos los niveles de la sociedad. Por ejemplo, se realizan negocios que contienen datos del gobierno. La policía, los bomberos y asistencia médica de emergencia tienen proyectos emergenciales para ataques terroristas. Los ejércitos realizan operaciones de combate contra el terrorismo, utilizando a menudo fuerzas especiales. La creación de equipos especiales de contraterrorismo implica a todos los segmentos de la sociedad y de variadas organizaciones estatales. La falsa propaganda y el adoctrinamiento es la base del terrorismo. Es así, que comprendiendo su perfil y funcionamiento aumenta la capacidad de contrarrestar el terrorismo con mayor eficacia.