As LIC becomes the dominant nature of warfare in the 21st century, the nature of war fighting is also changing. Western powers are being forced to confront this new threat to regional stability. The interactions and ties between such conflicts and the transnational trade in narcotics, weapons, nuclear materials, people and terrorism are becoming indistinguishable. Attacks such as Pan Am 103 and the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway are examples of asymmetric terrorist attacks. Terrorism is, by its very nature, asymmetric, achieving military-like results against a superior force relatively cheaply and with little friendly bloodshed.
Actors can also use terrorism strategically and tactically.
Both show the vulnerability of modern societies to such forms of asymmetric attack. All these offset the advantages enjoyed by Western military and security forces. Lethal agents employed in such operations range from a knife or a home-made bomb to a wide range of military weapons and munitions. Examples include the bombings of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Weapons of mass destruction WMD, their proliferation and means of deployment are a dangerous asymmetric threat.