...Defeating the Islamic State: Both Short-term and Long-term Counter Strategies for the Proto-State and its Ideologies Christopher J. Minchin Norwich University FIRST DRAFT SOCI 401A Culture and Anthropology February 16, 2016 Tracey Poirier Source: The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP).), Jan, 2016. “If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles“ –– Sun Tzu, Chinese philosopher and military strategist, around 500 BC. “Our terrorism against America is blessed terrorism.” –– Osama bin Laden (on video) “The acme of this religion is jihad.” — Osama bin Laden (Bergen, 2001, p. 41) Many have asked, “what can we do to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)? ” There have been a variety of suggestions from airstrikes, isolation , establishing a national unity government in Iraq to the feasibility of a counter-offensive using 'local' militia's and only as a last resort U.S. Boots on the ground. These are all worthy ideas; however, it is imperative to get a fundamental understanding of what has caused this problem because ISIS is growing and becoming stronger (even though current air strikes and counter-offensives have been successful). Before a decision can be made a rigorous analysis is necessary, a sociological analysis, so that the United States and the rest of the world can determine what must be done regarding ISIS and why. (Thesis):...
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...Terrorism Terrorism has been in existence since the recording of history and manifests itself in different ways. Understanding terrorism has been a task that most agencies have never reached a conclusion. Quantifying terrorism comes in as a complicated philosophy. To start with, the problem quantification of terrorism begins with physiological anomalies where the disparity between gains and losses is considered. Questions of whether people are willing to pay to reduce terrorism arises. Similarly, terrorism as a phenomenon is international. Terrorists easily move from one country to another and therefore accounting for such a trend makes it difficult to quantify it. (The Struggle to Define Terrorism, n.d.) Defining terrorism is as difficult as quantifying it. The main reason comes from the misunderstanding among most anti-terrorism agencies on what should be included to get with terrorism acts. The difficulty in this is determining where there is legitimacy in the use of violence and where it is directed. Most beliefs are that terrorism is associated with the Islamic religion, and this has made it hard to define elements of terrorism. Terrorism stems out of misunderstandings and in search of justice, and that is where most agencies fail to understand. (The Struggle to Define Terrorism, n.d.) Various agencies define terrorism in different ways. The FBI outlines terrorism as the illegal use of force and violence against individuals or property to intimidate a governing body...
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...AVIATION TERRORISM Thwarting High-Impact Low-Probability Attacks TERRORISME AÉRIEN Contrecarrer des attaques improbables à impacts élevés A Thesis Submitted to the Division of Graduate Studies of the Royal Military College of Canada by Jacques Duchesneau, C.M., C.Q., C.D. In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy April 2015 ©Jacques Duchesneau © This thesis may be used within the Department of National Defence but copyright for open publication remains the property of the author. ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE OF CANADA COLLÈGE MILITAIRE ROYAL DU CANADA DIVISION OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH DIVISION DES ÉTUDES SUPÉRIEURES ET DE LA RECHERCHE This is to certify that the thesis prepared by / Ceci certifie que la thèse rédigée par JACQUES DUCHESNEAU, C.M., C.Q., C.D. AVIATION TERRORISM Thwarting High-Impact Low-Probability Attacks complies with the Royal Military College of Canada regulations and that it meets the accepted standards of the Graduate School with respect to quality, and, in the case of a doctoral thesis, originality, / satisfait aux règlements du Collège militaire royal du Canada et qu'elle respecte les normes acceptées par la Faculté des études supérieures quant à la qualité et, dans le cas d'une thèse de doctorat, l'originalité, for the degree of / pour le diplôme de PHILOSOPHIÆ DOCTOR IN WAR STUDIES Signed by the final examining committee: / Signé par les membres du comité examinateur...
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...Terrorism is a complex problem with many diverse causes. Consequently no single effective method to counter it exists. To combat terrorism, one must first understand the underlying motivations for each particular group's actions. Terrorism, an issue that plagues our world every minute of every day. You never know when or where a terrorist organization is going to strike. All groups’ reasons are different, some for political or religious reasons, others for hatred. The roots of terrorism are believed to have started in 1007 A.D. Hassan ben Sabbah born in Qom, Iran was an Ishmaili Muslim and opposed all other Muslim groups except for the Ishmaili’s. He is believed to be the father of terrorism. Ben Sabbah’s actions had started a whole new trend; people began to follow his actions and started to form terrorist organizations. When you define terrorism most definitions say it is the act of violence and/or intimidation to achieve certain political or religious goals. Terrorism is a problem everywhere not just the Middle East, contrary to what people think. People think there is such a thing as a “typical terrorist”, but there really is not. I guess it could be said that terrorists are stereotyped in many ways. Many people believe that terrorists in the Middle East are either Muslims or Islamic, which is not true either. Just because a person is of one region of the world it does not mean they are a terrorist. As far as I am concerned it could be a next door neighbor. But to understand...
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...Do you agree that we live in a dangerous world? Can you remember 9-11? Most people know about this infamous act of terrorism. Unfortunately, it was not the last one. Some people say that the world is becoming a better place in which to live, but we are exposed to an increasing number of dangerous situations. Be it in the physical world, or the virtual world, the number of threats has been on the rise, many times without us even aware of them. Firstly, we are living in an era of wars. Although major wars such as World War II are long gone, there still exist many acts of violence and threats of mass destruction. These are due to advent of terrorism and relentless experimentation on nuclear weapons. These have resulted in increased tensions among major superpowers worldwide, notably North Korea against US and its allies. On a smaller scale, due to the issue to overlapping boundaries between neighboring countries, many people often get killed in border clashes. For example, Thailand and Cambodia had many border clashes in the last decade, leading to numerous deaths of soldiers and civilians alike. Besides, we often hear of suicide bombers in Iraq, in a bid to topple the current democratic government in place. Therefore, it is difficult to say that today’s world is a safer one. Moreover, we face, see and hear about a lot more crime today than we did in the past. If you watch the news, you will hear about a lot of crimes such as random killings or intentional kidnappings in exchange...
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...usually a member of a group that uses or advocates terrorism. An assassin is one who murders by surprise attacks, and is also someone who carries out a plot to kill a prominent person. They are both motivated by their beliefs, the will to terrorize the population of which they despise, and their political or personal agendas. The nature of a terrorist and assassin is sometimes considered to be acts of insane men trying to achieve a particular goal; their methods are known to have a drastic impact of society because of all the innocent people that are killed and hurt. Terrorist and assassins have had a major impact on society throughout history and definitely in the 20th century. They are said to be different in many ways but similar in some, and one thing they have in common is that their actions have the same effect on society. Terrorist’s and assassin’s actions are considered one of the most powerful influences in society because they are motivated by causing chaos and upheaval in society. Both parties believe in their cause and will stop at nothing to get what they want. Terrorist are very manipulative people that do what they feel is best to get their point of view across, their actions are solely to intimidate and persuade people to believe that their cause is right and just. A terrorist act is called terrorism, and terrorism is considered to be an act of violence in pursuit of political or religious goals. The word terrorism was...
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...the Sicarii and the Zealots. Sympathizers of the Romans slowly disappear and their voices vanish from Jerusalem. The fear of terrorism grows and Roman repression grows along with it, this in turn leads to the people of Jerusalem to revolt in 70 AD (Miller V). If this attack had been made in some dark alley with no spectators would the people react the way they did? The marketplace of old Jerusalem, can be compared to the media of today. What better place to get the public informed about your reasons and purpose for attacks than the news. Albert gave a good definition of terrorist's objectives when he stated: "Terrorists try to exercise influence over targeted officials on nations through intimidation of the public and arousal of sympathy for the social and political causes they espouse. Without widespread publicity, terrorist acts can achieve neither of these effects" (Bandura, Albert qtd. In Nacos 1). Terrorists need the news media to get the publicity, and the media is a willing accomplice. The news media is an accessory to terrorism, and as such they should develop a set of standards that will limit the terrorist ability to get their message out to a large audience during terrorist situations; Also the media should also point out police mistakes without over emphasizing them, giving equal coverage to both sides of the issue. Terrorism is the use of violence against...
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...President Bush’s address to the nation following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 was short, sweet, and to the point. He used various methods to address what had happened, who it happened to, and to convey his sympathies to the American public. Here, I will identify some of these methods, deduce them, and explain the difference between what was said, what was heard, and the intended implications spoken by the president. President Bush starts his address to the nation by saying “our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist attacks.” In this opening, he is setting the stage for the rest of his speech. It was intended to captivate and hold the attention of his intended audience. By opening his speech with this statement, he tells his audience that we, America, was attacked (an act of war) on purpose today, and by doing so; our way of life was also attacked. This is intended to bring Americans together and to share in this atrocity by implicating that it was not just those individuals who were victims of the attacks who were the intended targets, but it is all Americans whose lives will be forever altered by this event. He goes on to tell us that it was not an open act of war in that our military was not the ones who were attacked, but civilians, and he gives the public a scale in which to measure the devastation by indicating that there were thousands of “innocent” people who were directly harmed in these “evil,...
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...Power and violence are not the same. Power is psychological, a moral force that makes people want to obey. Violence enforces obedience through physical coercion. Those who use violence may manage to temporarily impose their will, but their command is always tenuous because when the violence ends, or the threat of it lessens, there is even less incentive to obey the authorities. Control through violence requires constant vigilance. Too little violence is ineffective; too much violence generates revolt. Violence is the weapon of choice for the impotent. Those who don't have much power often attempt to control or influence others by using violence. Violence rarely creates power. On the contrary, groups or individuals that use violence often find their actions diminish what little power they do have. Groups that oppose governments often try to compensate for their perceived lack of power by using violence. Such violence simply reinforces state power. A terrorist that blows up a building or assassinates a politician gives government the excuse it wants to crack down on individual liberties and expand its sphere of influence. When a government turns to violence, it is because it feels its power is slipping away. Governments that rule through violence are weak. Dictators have always had to rely on terror against their own populations to compensate for their powerlessness. The U.S. would feel no need to fight wars in Latin America or the Persian Gulf if it had power in those regions...
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...Shawn Wiley CRJ 419 American Terrorism Charles Loftus Assignment 4 Part Two June 16, 2013 More Domestic Terrorist Than the Public Realizes With only a few mentioned in part one of this two part essay, there are actually many more domestic terrorist groups that are coming to light. Domestic terrorism has been around for many years and probably for many more. There are going to be groups or even individuals that will have their own beliefs and may even try to push those beliefs onto others. So because of this domestic terrorism is going to be around for a long time. Looking through history I have found a few domestic groups that weren’t mentioned in part ones essay but I feel should be addressed. Ku Klux Klan can never be ignored as one of the most prominent of all domestic terrorist groups in the United States. Another one is Phineas Priesthood, and lastly a group Americans must focus on is Black Liberation Army. These are the three that I think should really be focused on, for they seem to be mentioned by the F.B.I. in a lot of Domestic Terrorism articles. Ku Klux Klan (KKK), just the name sounds of something bad is about to happen. The Klan has been causing havoc since 1865. Is definitely one of the oldest and most infamous for violence than any other domestic group on American. Most believe that blacks are the main subject of the Klan, but that isn’t necessary true anymore. They tend to focus on attacking Jews, immigrants, gays, and lesbians...
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...Nonviolent resistance essay Allover the world people try to prove their point; some of the ways that they do that is by getting noticed. There are lots of ways that people try to be noticed some are violent ways and some are non-violent. Personally I think that non-violent resistance is the best method because nobody gets hurt and the resistors gain respect. One example of a successful non-violent resistance movement was the bus boycott. Rosa Parks was sitting in the front of the bus, while she was sitting there a white man told her to go to the back of the bus. Rosa Parks refused and she was arrested for not listening to the man. In return all of the African Americans quit riding the buses and walked to school and work. The bus companies struggled financially because a large number of their customers were black. Eventually the bus companies gained respect for the African Americans. Another good example of a successful non-violent resistance movement was the EPHS teacher strike. The teacher strike was successful because it gave the community awareness on what was happening in the school system. The teachers simply didn’t go to work and they stood on the streets and protested. The school board realized that what the teachers wanted would benefit our education so the teachers and the school board compromised. Another good example of a good non-violent resistance movement was John Lennon’s, “in bed for peace”. John and his newly wed wife were against the Vietnam War so...
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...United States, reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism, and minimize damage and assist in recovery for terrorist attacks that occur in the United States. The U.S Department of Homeland Security was established after the 9/11 attacks to counter terrorist activities against the United States. Homeland security is officially defined by the National Strategy for Homeland Security as "a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur”. The major objective of the Patriot Act is “to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools" by dramatically reducing restrictions pertaining to law enforcement requests to search telephone records, e-mail communication, and health records. The Patriot Act allows for the emergency disclosure of electronic communications to protect life and broadens the definition of terrorism to include acts of domestic terrorism. Under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the Patriot Act allows the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or a designee of the director to apply for an order requiring the "production of any tangible things (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) for an investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities Introduction Formed...
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...position would have been if the plane had been shot down by United States armed forces rather than having crashed as a result of the passengers' actions. Are we more likely to accept the idea of utilitarianism in a time of crisis? If so, does that make the theory acceptable? Explain. I remember this time clear in my mind and the first thought in my head when the first plane hit the first tower in New York City that it was a hoax or a prank. After the second plane hit the other tower I did not know what to think and the feeling of fear started to grow inside of me. I have never felt such a feeling before in my life. I feared our country was under attack. The word terrorism was foreign to me at this point in time I could only fathom the thought of another country attacking the United States not terrorism. I did not fully understand what was going on and what to expect. I was a junior in high school in Savannah, Georgia and I had already enrolled in the Navy’s Delayed Enlistment Program. I thought for sure I was going to be taking out of high school early to go fight a war. That did not happen and I never went in the Navy I ended up going into the Air Force. So 9/11 was never a driving factor on why I joined the military it was due to the fact that every male family member of mine has served in the military since the American Revolution. I digress, I will never forget the feeling that day on 9/11 on how every American citizen put aside their own opinions of each other...
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... Introduction 3 Terrorism in Commercial Organizations 3 Terrorism in Airlines 4 Current Threats to Aviation 5 Insider Threats 5 Automation Adds Efficiency 6 Improving Total Operations 6 Increased Threats from Advanced Explosives 6 Threat against Airline Services and Airports 7 Necessary Steps to Improve Aviation Security 7 References 9 Introduction Terrorism is the systematic use of terror. It does not have a legal binding or definition in criminal law. Commonly, it is referred to creation of fear through violence (Townshend, 2002). Terrorism is usually defined and assumed as a group phenomenon (Hofmann, 2012). Terrorism has spread across the globe with its many forms and indicators. The emotional and diplomatic use of the word terrorism has resulted in a difficulty to provide an appropriate definition of terroorism (Raman, 2008). Researches have figured out more than hundred definitions of the word. The notion of terrorism is arguable due to two main reasons. Firstly, it is often used by government and other ruling bodies to delegitimize political or other rivals, secondly, to possibly legitimize the use of equipped force against enemies. A steadfast and unique characteristic of terrorism is the undifferentiating use of strength counter to noncombatants for the aim of attainment of publicity for a group, root, or individual. The representation of terrorism can influence human fear to help attain these goals. The problem of terrorism needs to be handled...
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...OPSEC in Warfare and Terrorism “The enemy aggressively "reads" our open source and continues to exploit such information for use against our forces. Some soldiers continue to post sensitive information to internet websites and blogs, e.g., photos depicting weapon system vulnerabilities and tactics, techniques, and procedures. Such OPSEC violations needlessly place lives at risk and degrade the effectiveness of our operations.” Peter Schoomaker (1). Operations Security (OPSEC), while a relatively recent term, is an operations enabler that has been practiced in varying degrees throughout history. This document will explore the history of OPSEC as it’s known today, discuss the process and its role in disrupting the capabilities of adversarial forces using multiple collection and planning models and examine the rapidly advancing technical capabilities of threat vectors. OPSEC as a concept was developed during the Vietnam War under the command of Admiral Ulyssess Sharp. The mission of the newly-established “Purple Dragon” team was to determine how the enemy was able to gather information on military operations (2). The team was able to understand the need to alter tactics and procedures to reduce an adversary's ability to make educated predictions based on the knowledge of routines (3). Post-war OPSEC was formally established as a national program when President Ronald Regan signed the National Security Decision Directive Number...
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