Understanding the nature of the various urban "seas" in which non-state actors threats swim and identifying those elements most critical to their support are vital for eventually expelling these "pollutants" from the waters. Education of the people of the urban area and acting to remove the financial aid from non-state actors can starve out the threats and make it much harder for them to use the density of the urban environment to avoid detection and attack. Ultimately removing the threat must rely on a net woven of cooperation among local, regional, national, and international agencies, and the people who comprise the urban "seas."

Originally published in: Small wars and insurgencies, v. 13, no. 2, Summer 2002.