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Indeed, some analysts see in hit teams an entirely new form of international belligerence. Says Gaddis Smith, chairman of Yale's history department: "If one places any emphasis on the legal definition of war, this would be an act of war, just as surely as dropping bombs on a country." Others view the notion of hit teams as an inevitable escalation in the level of terrorism of the past few years. "It's ironic that in this day, this era, people are surprised," says Ray Cline, executive director at Georgetown's Center for Strategic and International Studies. "As an educational exercise for the American public, I suppose it [the story of the hit teams] may be a good thing. It will alert Americans to the number of violence-prone governments that would have no hesitation in putting out a contract on others."